POKEMON: A New Journey
by JoeKido21
Summary: What happens when you’re given only an egg as your starting pokemon? Find out in this exciting tale of a young teen that learns to love his pokemon as his journey progresses!
1. Prologue

Fan Fiction: POKEMON: A New Journey   
SUMMARY: What happens when you're given only an egg as your starting pokemon? Find out in this exciting tale of a young teen that learns to love his pokemon as his journey progresses!  
Prologue  
As the professor hiked up the steep slope of the mountains surrounding Pallet, he could smell the crisp air and feel the warmth surround his body. The path was not hiked on much, so it was very crude and rough. But the professor didn't care. It was finally a break from all of the research and busy work it required to be a pokemon scientist.   
He could here the birds chirping in the distance, and a smile came across his face as he listened to their peaceful music. He continued on his hike though, eager to discover new pokemon.   
When he reached a small, flat area, he sat down to rest on a rock, saying quietly to himself, "I guess I'm just not the young man I used to be." He took out his canteen and slowly began to drink the water at intervals, stopping to stare at the captivating panorama. As he crouched down to pick up his knapsack, he noticed a small alcove under the boulder he was sitting on. Already suspicious, he kneeled down and looked inside. He saw something that made his heart skip a beat. He reached in and pulled the oval-shaped object out of the abandoned nest.   
"Finally," he said softly, cautiously tucking it under his jacket.  
Chapter 1  
It's hard having someone in your family leave on a journey and then remain unsuccessful. Ash is my cousin, although we were never that close. He left on his journey a few months ago, but it hasn't gone so well. My aunt doesn't care much, she just continues to hope that Ash will become a great trainer, just like his father once was. But it's hard for her to see him do so badly in his training. He tells us that he has some companions to come along with him, although I can't picture him with friends. He was always a loner as a young child, never really social. My mother always encouraged me to go play with him, but I myself found him a bit odd.   
But he was gone, and it was my time to shine. Although he is younger than me by a couple years, I never started my journey. I guess I just didn't feel ready to go. But I was ready now, and I was determined to get a good start, unlike him.   
I was downstairs on the morning of my departure from Pallet, packing my bag. My younger brother was playing a video game at the kitchen breakfast table, and my mother was cooking on the stove. My dad walked down the stairs, adjusting his lab coat. He was a scientist at the local pokemon lab, and he had provided me with the essential starting items, such as pokeballs, potions, and such. He also gave me his own, improved pokedex that had more features than the one Professor Oak invented last year. Professor Oak was like a father to my dad, always supervising him and assisting him in his experiments. My dad told me that the professor would be retiring soon, in which he would take his place. But for right now, Professor Oak was the authority on pokemon in Pallet, and it was from him that I would have to get a starting pokemon.   
After checking and double-checking my bag, I zipped it up and placed it in the corner. My mom finished making breakfast, and served it to the rest of the family. While eating, my dad reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a white envelope. He slid it across the table and waited for me to open it until he spoke, "There's 250 dollars in there, along with your trainer's credit card."  
I took the envelope and carefully put it into my bag. "Thanks," I said, starting to eat my breakfast.   
***  
I left the house a few minutes later, eager to get to the lab. When I got there, there were I few other kids there, most younger than me. I leaned against a tree in the shade until the professor opened the gates and let us in.   
It was a steep climb up the steps to the lab on the hill, and I continued to think about what pokemon I would pick. I knew he had the three starters required by the Pokemon League to give away, but there were more than three people here. When we entered the lab, we all formed a circle around a display case with pokeballs inside. Each pokeball had a symbol representing it's proper type. Because I was the older and more mature person there, I allowed the younger kids to step up and receive their pokemon. There were three Charmanders, so everything worked out fine. When it was finally my turn, there was only a Squirtle left. I started to reach for the red and white pokeball, but the professor stopped me.  
"Wait, Austin," he said, pushing some buttons on a keypad attached to the glass case, "I have something special for you."   
Surprised by this remark, I stepped back and watched the professor. After pushing several numbers on the keypad, a small door inside the glass case slid up, revealing a small compartment that was lighted in a red fluorescent glow. He grabbed a towel and reached in, slowly removing a large egg. It was spotted with multicolored squares, triangles, and circles, all of which added to it's beauty.  
I stared at the amazing object in awe as he spoke, "I know your father very well, Austin, and I know a lot more about you than you think. I do know that you are a mature child, and I trust you with this egg. It is of a newer species, one that hasn't really developed much, but will in due time."  
"What is it?" I asked, stepping closer to the egg and feeling the warm glow coming from it.  
"That I can't tell you," he said, "I want you to find that out by yourself."  
I was slightly annoyed by his answer, but understood his reasoning. I carefully took the egg from him and wrapped it in the towel. He again spoke, "The egg is due to hatch in a couple days, but for it to do this, you must be careful with it. You must keep it warm and safe, or the pokemon will never hatch."  
"Okay," I replied, following him out the door and into the warm sunlight, "I'll be careful with it."  
"I know, Austin," he said with a gentle smile, "Now, you must be going if you plan to make it to Viridian by tomorrow. Good luck, and I expect lots of pokemon from you!"  
I started down the path out of town, eager to start my journey, and to catch new pokemon.  
Chapter 2  
As I walked up the path towards Viridian Forest, I kept the egg wrapped in a towel so it would stay warm. There was a flock of Pidgies flying above my head.  
"Man, I wish I could catch some pokemon now. I can't wait until my egg hatches. Then I'll be able to catch as many pokemon as I want." I thought to myself as I neared the forest.  
Soon, I confronted a funny-looking pokemon. It was purple and had sharp fangs, but it was only a couple inches high. I pointed my pokedex at it;  
RATTATA: A rat pokemon. Rattata come out in day to search for food such as nuts and berries. Rattata are also known to be scavengers  
"Well, he's not getting my food," I said as I quickly hurried along. The rattata soon sprinted off into some bushes.  
After a few hours, I reached Viridian Forest. A sign on front read:  
VIRIDIAN FOREST: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK  
"OK, fine," I said with a shrug as I continued.   
The forest had crisp air and the smell of pine all around. There was a clear-cut path that edged its way through the woods. As I hurried along, I heard a distant voice:  
"Pidgey, go!"  
"Whoa," I thought to myself, "A pokemon battle!" I soon sprinted over to the source of the sound and found myself in a clearing. A boy that looked a little older than me was facing a small bug pokemon. I pointed my pokedex at the pokemon:  
CATERPIE: A bug pokemon. This pokemon uses suctions on its body to inch its way around with great speed  
"Cool." I thought, "That kids lucky."  
The boy then commanded to his Pidgey, "Pidgey, gust, now!"  
The Caterpie responded quickly and quickly jumped to the side. The pidgey's gust just hit the ground and diminished.   
"Aw man," the boy whined, "OK, Pidgey, watch out for-" The boy didn't have time to finish his sentence. The Caterpie shot a long strand of a white substance.  
I pointed my pokedex at it: Caterpie's first move, STRING SHOT, lowers the speed of its opponent  
The pidgey was stunned a little, but not finished. The boy then yelled to his pidgey, "Try gust again, Pidgey!" The pidgey obeyed and this time the Caterpie had no time to respond. The gust of wind hit him hard and he hit the ground.  
"Pokeball, go!" the mysterious boy yelled as he tossed a red and white pokeball at the caterpie. After a few seconds, the light on the pokeball indicated that Caterpie was caught.  
"Yes!" the boy said, happy that he had finally captured him. "Pidgey, return!"  
I then came out of hiding and confronted him, "Hey, that was pretty cool."  
"Oh. Thanks. You watched the entire fight?"  
"Yep," I replied, "And it was a good fight at that.  
"Thanks," he then remarked, "Oh, by the way, my names Stork. Or, at least people call me that because I'm so tall.  
"I'm Austin Ketchum. From Pallet"  
"Oh, you're from Pallet? I'm from Viridian City. I just came back to the woods to try out my new pokemon. My dad gave it to me for my birthday."  
"Oh, you mean your pidgey?" I asked.  
"Yep. I want to evolve him into a Pigeot so he can help me catch other pokemon. So, what about you? What pokemon do you have?"  
I replied nervously, "Well, er...um, you see, I don't really have a pokemon yet. All I have is this Pokemon egg," I said as I showed him my egg.  
"Oh cool!" he replied in awe, "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say thats the egg of a-"  
He was interrupted when the egg started shaking back and forth. A crack started to work its way around the middle half of the egg.  
"It's hatching!" I cried out happily.  
The crack finally made its way around the circumference of the egg, causing the top half to pop off, revealing my new pokemon, well, um, I really didn't know what it was. It was yellow, and had a cute face. Its head was spiked all the way around the top.  
"That's what I thought," Stork said as two hands and two feet popped out of the shell, "It's a Togepy."  
"A what?" I asked him as I pointed my Pokedex at it:  
TOGEPI: A grass/physic pokemon. Togepy wear their shell their whole life, never revealing their bottom half. Togepy believes that the first pokemon or human it sees is its mother and is imprinted with the image its whole life  
"Cool," I said out loud. The Togepy looked at me and then said "Togepy!" in a really cheerful voice. It must think I'm its mother, so I picked it up. Soon, it motioned to get down, so I put it down. It then climbed onto its feet and waddled over to Stork. It stared at him for a few seconds and then waddled over to the pokeballs at his waist.  
"Gepy!" it said as it pressed on one of the pokeballs. A caterpie popped out that seemed very weak. The two began conversing between each other, so Stork and I let them be as we talked with each other.  
"So," I asked him, "How did you know what a Togepy is?"  
"Well, my dad had one once, but it wasn't alive when I was born. All I saw were pictures of him and my dad."  
"Oh, cool," I said.  
"Yep. Hey, are you on your way to Viridian City?"  
"Yeah," I replied, "Do you want to come with me?"  
"Ok. At Viridian we can stop and get our pokemon healed, and then head over to my house to eat and sleep," he said.  
I then looked at my Togepy. It had fallen asleep, so I pointed one of my pokeballs at it and said, "Togepy, return!" A red glow then emitted from the pokeball and swallowed Togepy into it. After Stork did the same, we got up and headed to Viridian City as the sun began to set.  
Chapter 3  
Stork and I reached Viridian City at around 9:00 at night, do it was pretty dark, with the exception of the dim glow of the moon, reflecting of the few ponds in the city. There were still people walking around the city, mostly couples who wanted to take a stroll.   
Stork and I first went and gave our Pokemon to Nurse Joy for healing. Stork's Caterpie was still weak from its last battle and my Togepy needed to get some shots so it wouldn't get sick at such a young age. Nurse Joy said that any baby pokemon should be taken care of carefully, because they can easily die.  
After depositing our pokemon for the night, Stork and I headed over to his house, which was only a block away. When we arrive, his family was in the middle of putting everyone to bed. He had a total of 4 siblings- 3 boys and one girl. The girl was the youngest of the group, and looked like she was the most mature because she was sitting quietly in the corner reading a children's book with her doll. Her brothers, on the other hand, were running around shooting each other with play guns.  
Stork's mother cried helplessly to her sons, "Boys. Stop it right now, boys. Derek, drop that gun this instance! Oh, no, you better not shoot me..." a squirt of water poured from the gun and right onto her face.   
Stork's dad finally intervened, " STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" he screamed. The boys immediately complied and filed quietly up to their rooms.  
"That's better," Stork's mother said with a sigh of relief. She then looked at me, "Oh, Bobby, you have a friend."  
"Bobby?" I asked with a snicker.  
"OK, so I have a real name," he said with a sneer.  
"Well, Bobby, is your friend-"  
"Austin," Stork said.  
"Oh. Is your friend Austin going to stay the night?"  
"If its ok with you. He's been out in Viridian Forest and he's pretty tired. Is it ok with you?"  
"Why, certainly. I'm just sorry he saw us at such a busy time, putting the boys to bed and everything. Lucky for us we have at least one good child in this household," she said looking at the youngest girl sitting in the corner.  
"Sarah," she said, "will you please go to your bed?"  
"OK, Mommy," she said as she quietly stood up and walked into her room.   
"Well, Stork," she said concentrating on us once again, "Why don't you two head up to your room and get some sleep. You two can go out again tomorrow."  
***  
The next morning, we woke at around 9:00. We had slept in because of our long hike the other day.   
After getting dressed and having breakfast, we walked over to the Pokecenter to retrieve our pokemon. My Togepy greeted me happily.  
"Togepy! Gepy!" it said cheerfully as it hopped into my arms.   
"Nice to see you too, boy. Or girl," I said to him/her. He then proceeded to show me a blue triangle on his shell, and blue, being to international symbol for me, proved that he was indeed a boy.  
"OK, boy. I got it," I said to him. I then turned to Stork, "How are yours?"  
"Great. My Caterpie's as lively as ever," he replied, bringing out his Caterpie. The Caterpie then crawled up his arm and onto its head, where it curled up and rested.  
After returning our pokemon to their pokéballs (well, except for my Togepy who refused to go back into his pokéball. I discovered later that he only enters his pokéball to sleep), we headed back to Viridian for a small hike. I was hoping to find a new pokemon, but my hopes weren't too high.  
But, too my surprise, a pokemon did appear. It was a Weedle. Now, I don't usually turn down a pokemon, but I don't like poison pokemon. They're always so vicious and deadly that I'm afraid to hold one.  
"Hey, Stork. If you want you can catch this one. I'm not too keen on poison pokemon," I said to him.  
His face immediately lit up. He turned to the Weedle and threw a pokéball.  
"Pidgey, go!" he screamed.   
A Pidgey emerged from the pokéball and flew straight up.  
"Pidgey, sand-attack!" Stork again screamed. The Pidgey complied, and a shroud of sand was blown onto the Weedle. Knowing that Stork would probably come out the winner of this fight, I walked on to just see if any pokemon were nearby.  
I found myself on a different path, and soon found a small hut with some smoke coming out of the chimney. I walked up to the hut and knocked on the door, hoping to get some help on getting out of here because I soon found out I was lost.  
I knocked on the door, and a gruff, middle-aged man appeared at the doorway.  
"Whata you want?" he asked angrily.   
I replied nervously, "Umm... well, you see, I'm kinda lost..."  
I stopped as I peeked into the hut and saw a small pokémon whining in the corner, apparently hurt.  
"Um, is your pokémon ok?" I asked, still staring at the injured pokémon.  
"Hey, kid. Mind your own business. It's fine ok?"  
"Well, it doesn't look too 'ok'," I said. "Do you mind if I try to help it?"  
"Hey, didn't I tell you to stay outa my business?" he said in an even harsher voice.  
"I'm just trying to help. If that pokémon doesn't get help, it could die."  
"Fine, but you better not try to steal anything outa my house, or you'll be sorry," he said sliding his forefinger across his throat.  
"OK, I won't," I then said as I walked in.  
I found the pokémon in the corner. It looked like a small dog. I pointed my Pokédex at it;  
GROWLITHE: A fire pokémon. Growlithe are known to guard things or people with their lives. If a Growlithe feels, hurt or threatened, it is known to lash out and burn its attacker  
"Whoa," I said, stepping more cautiously towards the creature now. But, then I remembered something. I then looked at the man who was watching me carefully. His arms were well bitten and were covered in burn marks. I then felt extremely sorry for the Growlithe.  
"I bet that man's been beating his pet," I thought sadly to myself.  
I proceeded onto the Growlithe, and, as his name suggests, he growled at me.  
"Its ok, buddy. I'm only trying to help you," I then said as I slowly pulled out the vile of potion Professor Oak had given me a few days back.   
"Here you go, Growlithe. It might taste bad, but it will heal your bruises." I then gave him the medicine and he laid down, probably trying to digest the potion. After a short while, he fell asleep.  
I finally turned to his owner, "did you by any chance beat your Growlithe?"  
"Hey, that's none of your damn business!"  
"I see the bite and burn marks on your arm. You beat him because he was too weak or he didn't listen to you, didn't you?"   
"He was too weak and I lost a lot of money on bets on him!" he said in almost a whining voice.  
"Well, that's no reason to beat him!" I said angrily and fiercely.  
"Listen, kid, if you want him so much, why don't you just take him. He's a weakling who can't fight. As a matter of fact, lets battle. If I win, I get all your money and whatever else you have. If you win, you get Growlithe. OK?"  
"No. What happens to Growlithe if you win?"  
He replied with an evil look on his face, "Well, lets just say that Growlithe won't be too happy if I win."  
"You're on," I said to him. I was now determined to win. If I didn't, Growlithe might end up dead.  
We proceeded outside into a grassy meadow. We were each to use only one pokémon seeing that I only had one. I sent out Togepy, who had been sleeping in his pokéball. When he was sent out, he woke up and discovered that he was about to fight his first-ever fight.   
"Togepy!" he said in a determined tone.  
"That's great, boy. Now this battle is very important because it could mean life or death for a pokémon. So do your best!" I said to him in an encouraging voice.  
"Gepy!" he said as he walked onto the playing field (pun not induced).  
"OK, fine," the man said, "Ekans, go!"  
I pointed my pokédex at the purple pokémon:  
EKANS: A snake pokémon. Ekans are known to eat eggs of other pokémon. Trainers should also be cautious of the poison it secretes into its victims  
"Oh no," I muttered to myself, "go figure- it eats eggs. Well, lets just hope it doesn't come down to that. Togepy, attack-wait! What are your attacks?" My pokédex answered that:  
Currently, Togepy knows the attacks SING and POUND  
"OK, Togepy, pound, now!" I yelled as he complied. He started running towards Ekans and then jumped high into the air.  
My opponent screamed, "Ekans, counter-attack!" The Ekans came soaring at Togepy, but Togepy was to high in the air and came down on Ekan's head hard.  
"Way, to go, buddy!" I screamed happily.  
"Hey, kid, it's not over. Ekans, tackle!"  
The Ekans quickly recovered frm its last hit and started soaring yet again to Togepy.  
"Togepy, watch ou-" It was too late. My Togepy was hit hard and hit the ground. He was dazed, but was not done for. He got up and waited for his next command.  
"Togepy, sing!" I said, wondering myself what sing was. He started to sing, almost hypnotizing the Ekans. The Ekans then softly hit the ground and curled up into a deep sleep.   
"No! Ekans, wake up!" his trainer cried helplessly.  
"OK, Togepy. Pound, now!"  
The Togepy did a running jump and hit Ekans hard, fainting him, but not waking him up. The sing attack must have been pretty strong.  
"Ekans, return!" the man yelled in a defeated voice. "Ok, kid, looks like you won. Growlithe is yours."  
"Great!" I said as I ran inside. Growlithe woke up as I came in.   
"Hey, buddy. You don't have to stay with him anymore! You can come with me and I'll take care of you. You just have to trust me on this." I then set a pokéball on the ground and waited for him to make his decision. The man came in and said, "C'mon, Growlithe. I promise I won't beat you anymore."  
"Don't doy it!" I said, "He was going to kill you if I didn't win that last match!"  
The Growlithe was now very confused, but my Togepy calmly walked over to it and they began conversing.  
"Togepy. Gepy." "Growlithe?" "Togepy! Gepy. Togep!" "Growlithe"  
Soon, my Togepy turned to me and said in a joyful voice, "Togepy!" I then looked at the Growlithe and he walked over to the pokéball and pushed the button. He was immediately sucked in and the light indicated he was there to stay.  
"Yes! That's 2 pokémon!" I screamed happily as I picked up the pokéball and attached it to my belt.  
"No," the man muttered under his breath.  
I then confronted him, "If you plan on keeping your pokémon, I suggest you stop beating them. Instead help them out. Go to the pokécenter in Viridian and heal your Ekans. Then train him, that's the only way they'll get better at fighting. You lost one pokémon, and I don't think it'd be too easy to catch more."  
The man stood stunned as I walked out of his hut. I guess that showed him. But then I remembered why I went there in the first place. I turned to him and he said, "Take the path over there. It will lead to a big meadow where you can find your way to Viridian easily."  
"Thanks," I said as I followed the path.   
When I reached the meadow, I found Stork sitting in the grass, watching his to bug pokémon play.  
"So," I said, "you caught the Weedle."  
"Hey Austin. Where've you been?"  
"It's a long story. C'mon, I'll explain on the way home," I said as I indicated that we should go.  
"Ok," Stork said. "Weedle, Caterpie, return!"   
Chapter 4  
My new Growlithe was great. When Stork and I returned to his house, Growlithe played with all of the kids and kept them busy while their parents cooked. Stork's mother listened intently to my story as I told it to everybody and then told me of the man.  
"Why, the man you're talking about just might be Mr. Botz. In his younger years, Botz was a great pokémon trainer and a wonderful explorer. But as he got older, his pokémon grew old also and, eventually, died. Mr. Botz became sad and angry that some of his lifelong pets would die, so he lashed out at his new pokémon. I'm guessing this Growlithe is one of those unfortunate pokémon."  
"Wow," I said in awe, "So it wasn't Growlithe that was the problem, it was Botz himself."  
After dinner, Stork and I brought our new pokémon (Weedle and Growlithe) to the pokécenter to heal. As it turns out, Growlithe had a sprained leg that would be set overnight.   
***  
The next morning, we woke again at a late hour (around 10 am). We walked over to the market first to get some fresh fruit for breakfast and then went and picked up our pokémon. My Growlithe would have to remain of the leg for about 2 days, so until then, we were going to hang out in Viridian. My plans were to head to Pewter to fight the owner of the local gym for the Boulder Badge and then rest there overnight. Stork, on the other hand, was still undecided on whether to come with me or stay in Viridian. He commented to me that morning, "All I really want to do is try to collect all the pokémon in the world. I don't care about fighting other people or anything."  
We spent the day watching pokémon battles on the TV because it started to rain outside and we were still worn from the previous days. Stork and I made small bets on the battles and, to my surprise, Stork won most of the bets.   
"One dollar on Ponyta," he would say and then Ponyta would win. In one instance, he said Grimer would win against Pigeot, but then Grimer evolved into a Muk, so we didn't know how to rule it.  
"Hey, Grimer and Muk are totally different pokémon. You said Grimer would win, but it was Muk who came out in the end!" I would argue.  
"But it was still the same creature that one, it just had a different body!" he would then say.  
We went on like this for days, arguing over stupid thing like pokémon battles. Finally, Growlithe's leg brace was ready to be taken off after 3 days of waiting.  
At dinner that night, we talked about what Stork was going to do the next day. His parents didn't think he was ready to go, but Stork argued that he had been waiting a long time for this, and now it was his chance. Finally, after 2 hours of debating, Stork was allowed to go, only if he checked back home every other day.  
"Yes!" Stork exclaimed as we got ready to sleep that night. It had been customary for Growlithe to sleep with us at night so he curled up on my sleeping bag and easily fell asleep. As for my Togepy, he was growing by the day, getting a little bit bigger every time he was fed.  
***  
We woke up the next morning bright and early so we would arrive in Pewter before day broke. After Stork and I said our good-byes, we headed over to the pokémart to stock up on supplies because people said prices were more expensive in Pewter City because it was larger and had more people. I only bought a couple pokéballs and some potions, but Stork bought 25 pokéballs saying, "I know I'll go through these fast."  
There was a main road that headed straight to Pewter, but Stork refused to go on it stating that "there aren't any pokémon on the road. We've got to take the back-roads to find pokémon!" I complied, only because he was such a good whiner.   
On the way, my Togepy insisted on sitting on my shoulder and my Growlithe refused to be cooped up in a pokéball all day, so he was allowed to walk with us.   
"Y'know, Austin," Stork said with a grin, "if you keep letting your pokémon walk around like that, you won't even need pokéballs."  
"Shut up," I replied. At the same time, Growlithe was onto the trail of some pokémon, so we had to follow him so I wouldn't lose him. All of the sudden, a fierce bird flew out of the sky and dove at us. Having earlier learned Growlithe's moves, I told him to use roar. The Spearow (as I identified it) was edging closer, but Growlithe let out a huge roar ,"GROWL!". Both Stork and I were shaken from the loud sound and the Spearow immediately flew away scared stiff.  
"Wow," Stork exclaimed, "if your Growlithe's bark is as vicious as it's bite, you'll have a very powerful pokémon!"  
"Yeah. I didn't even know a sound that loud could come from a creature that small," I said looking down proudly at my pet. But then, I realized Togepy had disappeared. I found his pokéball and told him to come out. When he appeared, he had tucked his head, legs, and arms into is shell.  
"It's OK, buddy. It was only Growlithe," I said trying to comfort him. His shell was shaking nervously and he was crying. Growlithe walked over to him and they started talking again. Eventually, Togepy popped his head out of his shell and looked up into the sky. He and Growlithe began laughing together.  
"I bet Growlithe told him how he scared away that Spearow," Stork said. Togepy was still sniffling away tears with laughter as we continued.   
Stork soon heard a sound in the woods, so he went to investigate to see if it was a pokémon. I, on the other hand, was forced to wait for him.   
It was really quiet and my Togepy fell asleep again. I returned him to his pokéball, but then heard a rustling in some nearby shrubs. Growlithe began barking, but I commanded him to stop, and then walked over to investigate. Out of nowhere, a walking fern start running away. What is that?  
My pokédex spoke out of my pocket: ODDISH: A plant pokémon. Oddish are known to be easily spooked and are hard to catch  
"Well, we'll see about that. Growlithe, bite!"   
Growlithe ran at the Oddish, ready to attack, but the Oddish had great speed and quickly jumped out of the way, causing Growlithe to run into a tree. The Oddish then went over to the temporarily stunned pokémon and stood on top of him. Growlithe began glowing. "What's going on?" I asked my pokédex:  
Oddish is using the move ABSORB. He is absorbing energy from your Growlithe  
"No! Growlithe, get up!" I yelled. Growlithe got up, but was very weak.   
"Growlithe, ember attack!" I yelled. He began spitting flames out of its mouth. This got the Oddish good.  
"Pokéball, go!" I yelled as I threw the ball at the roasted Oddish.  
The ball began to shake back and forth, the light glowing. Finally, the ball stopped shaking and the light stopped glowing.  
"YES!" I exclaimed loudly. I picked up the pokéball and sent Oddish out.  
"Oddish," it said in a weary voice.  
"Here you go, drink this," I said to him as I gave him a potion. He drank it and then stuck his tongue out in disgust and made a funny face.  
"Oddish," he said with the weird look.  
"I know it tastes bad, but it'll help. Trust me. Now come back into your pokéball so you can rest."  
He returned, just as Stork appeared from the woods.  
"It was only a stupid branch that fell," he said in a depressed voice. He then sniffed the air, "Hey, what's cooking? Something smells burned."  
"Oh, well...um, you see...I sorta..." I mumbled, afraid to tell him that I caught another pokémon.   
"What?!" he exasperated in a annoyed voice.  
"I caught another pokémon- an Oddish."  
"Oh, good for you," he said, calming down.  
"WHAT?" I asked loudly, "Aren't you mad I caught a pokémon that you didn't have?"  
"Why should I be? You were in the right place at the right time. Listen, Austin, I'm not going to get mad if you catch a pokémon that I don't own. I'll just try to catch one later."  
"Oh, that's a relief. I was beginning to fear that I could only catch pokémon when you weren't around.  
"Of course not. Now lets get going, we've got to get to Pewter before sundown and we still have a few hours to go."  
We continued on our journey, both determined to be the best at what we wanted to do. Stork, to become the best, um, pokémon catcher, and me to become the best pokémon trainer. I now had three pokémon, and I knew that both Stork and I would own more in the future.  
Chapter 5  
Stork and I entered Pewter City at around 8:00pm. We were dead tired from walking, and my Growlithe needed to go into the pokécenter because he got a nice bump in the head from my new Oddish, who was also put into the pokécenter for treatment. My Togepy had been sleeping for the rest of the way to Pewter in his pokéball, so when we found a hotel to stay at, he was a lively as ever. Stork and I, on the other hand, were dead tired from walking. We each collapsed in our beds and turned on the TV. Right now, there was a long infomercial about the newest inventions for pokémon on the Non-Stop Pokémon channel, so we walked over to a nearby restaurant and ate like there was no tomorrow.  
My Togepy quietly drank some water on our table as Stork started to tell me about who I would be facing tomorrow, "I think his name is Brock. He's a trainer of rock time and its rumored he has a Geodude and an Onix. Anyway, he's very determined to win, so you might want to watch out for your pokémon when they're battling."  
"Ok," I replied nervously. I then asked, "How do you know all this?"  
"Well, my friend's brother's cousin in-law's nephew's son began his pokémon journey a couple of years ago, so it sorta got around."  
"Uh, yeah," I said with a crack in my voice.  
"So, anyway," he began, trying to make conversation, "how do you like your new Oddish?"  
"He's great," I replied, "He's also the first pokémon I ever caught."  
"Oh yeah. So that means he's sorta special."  
"Yep, and I can't wait till he evolves."  
Our food then came, and we ate happily, seeing that the last thing we ate were some cookies on the way there. My Togepy came up to my salad and poked at it with curiosity.   
"Hey, stop that," I said with a laugh. He looked up at me with a confused look, and then back again at my salad. He quickly grabbed a piece of lettuce and quickly waddled to the other side of the table. There he say down and started chomping happily on the lettuce.  
"Togepy!" he said with a grin.  
Stork then said with a smirk, "At least he's getting his leafy greens."  
***  
As usual, we woke up the next morning at around 10. After we had left the restaurant, we made a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up some eggs and bacon for breakfast. We also picked up some snacks for later. As I cracked the eggs, Togepy saw me and screamed, "TOGEPY!"   
"Oh, yeah. Well, you see, um...these aren't Togepy eggs...see, um these come from chickens and... um, they were never living or anything," I said nervously, trying to comfort him.   
So, anyway, Stork and I ended up eating bacon for breakfast.   
My Growlithe and my Oddish were still sleeping when I got them back from the pokécenter, so I waited for them to wake up before I went and challenged Brock for the Boulder badge. While they were sleeping, I looked up Oddish's moves in my pokédex.  
Oddish's current moves are ABSORB and POISON POWDER  
"Ok," I said to myself.   
Stork had gone out for another hour to look for more pokémon, while I continued to wait for my pokémon to awaken. I watched pokémon battles on TV, some were Haunter against Kadabra, Raticate against Ditto, and Hitmonchan against Raichu. After about 2 hours, Stork returned with a huge smile on his face.  
"What are you so happy about," I asked him.  
"Well, there's a couple reasons. One, there was another trainer in the woods who I battled. I used my Caterpie and," he stopped as he pulled a pokéball from his waist and opened it. A green, dull-eyed thing came out. I pointed my pokédex at it:  
METAPOD: The evolved form of Caterpie. Metapod is a pokémon at a cocoon stage, where it will soon evolve into Butterfree with enough experience. Like Kakuna, the only move it knows is HARDEN  
"So, you got yourself a Metapod," I said, "What's the other part of your good news?"   
He then returned Metapod to his pokémon and grabbed another one. A red light shot out and formed the shape of a bird pokémon.  
"Remember that Spearow that attacked us?" he asked with a grin, "Well, I think this is that Spearow."  
The Spearow appeared on the floor and let out a cry, "Spearow!"  
This awoke Growlithe, who then proceeded to bark, which woke Oddish, who began to run frantically around in circles. In all the pandemonium, my Togepy began crying.   
Stork quickly held out Spearow's pokéball and yelled, "Spearow, return!"  
I then quickly grabbed two of my pokéballs and commanded Growlithe and Oddish to do the same. There were bright flashes of red light everywhere, lighting up the room with a luminescent glow. Then, there was silence, well, except for Togepy who was slowly starting to sniffle his tears.   
"It's ok, buddy," I comforted him as I gave him a piece of lettuce, which was now one of his favorite foods.  
After cleaning up our hotel room and paying for a broken vase, we headed to the Pewter City Gym. Out front, there were several kids playing, the oldest being about 8 years old. He confronted us, and asked us if either of us wanted to battle him. Stork quickly agreed, "I'll battle you!"  
So, an area was cleared for battle and all of the younger kids and I made a circle around the battleground. The fight then began:  
The younger boy called out his first pokémon, "Rattata, come out!"  
Stork then yelled, "Spearow, let's do it!"  
"Rattata, tail whip!"  
The Rattata ran to the Spearow and got his tail ready. Spearow just stood there. Right when Rattata was in hitting distance, he swung, but Spearow was to fast and flew up quickly. The Rattata then stumbled around and landed on his back.  
"Spearow, peck attack!" Stork screamed.  
The Spearow dove down at the dazed Rattata and hit him hard in the gut with his beak. The Rattata flinched in pain, but got back up and waited for his next order.  
"Rattata, tackle it while its on the ground," the young trainer yelled.  
The Rattata immediately jumped at Spearow, who was caught off guard.   
The Spearow hit the ground and the trainer then yelled, "Hit it again with Quick Attack!"  
The Rattata jumped at the injured Spearow and hit him once more. Spearow collapsed in a faint.  
"Spearow re-huh?" Stork asked confusingly as the Rattata started to glow and grow bigger. It then screamed, "Raticate!"  
I pointed my pokédex at the newly evolved Raticate:  
RATICATE: A rat pokémon. The evolved form of Rattata, Raticate, possesses even larger fangs and is very powerful. One of its most powerful moves is HYPER FANG  
"Uh-oh," I quietly said to myself, "Stork's in for it now."  
After Stork had returned Spearow, he yelled, "Weedle, go!"  
The yellow bug popped out but was extremely frightened when it saw the large, brown rat towering over it. "We-dle-le," it stuttered in a scared voice.  
"It's, ok, Weedle, your more powerful than this rat. Poison sting, now," Stork exclaimed.  
The Weedle obeyed, despite how scared it was. It lunged at the Raticate, its stinger facing forward.  
The young boy then screamed, "Raticate, dodge the stinger!" But it was too late. The boy had hesitated and the needle dug into the Raticate's neck. The Raticate's vision faded as it collapsed onto the ground.  
"No!" he screamed, "That was my only pokémon!" He quickly returned his pokémon and sprinted towards the pokécenter.  
Stork was about to return his Weedle when it started to glow. "It's evolving!" a young girl said from the crowd. We all stared in awe as the Weedle grew a hard crust, which covered its body. It became a yellow pokémon, resembling Stork's Metapod. I then remembered what my pokédex said about Metapod and Kakuna being very similar.  
"This must be a Kakuna," I thought out loud.  
"Cool," Stork exclaimed, "Two evolved pokémon in one day!"  
We then remembered what we were there for in the first place, to win the Boulder Badge.  
Stork then said to me, "I'm going to go put my pokémon in the pokécenter. I'll meet you in there in about 10 minutes, ok?"  
"Sure," I said as I walked in and opened the doors.  
When I opened the doors, my mouth dropped down. There were kids sprinting around in every square foot of the gym. They were playing on rocks and huge boulders that dotted the large room. In the middle, trying to calm them all down was a middle-aged man who was yelling and practically pulling his hair out of his head.   
"Um...Is this a bad time?" I asked the man.  
"Oh. Sorry, you caught me off guard. No, its not a bad time, I'm just trying to calm these kids down. Hey, Joseph, get down from there!" he yelled as he ran over and grabbed a small child who was climbing on top of an exceptionally large boulder.  
"Ok," I replied, trying to ignore all the kids, "I'm here to battle Brock for the Boulder Badge."  
"Oh, Brock. Well, see... he took off a couple months ago with his friend, um...Ash. I think that's the name."  
"Is it Ash Ketchum, by any chance?" I asked the frenetic man.  
"Yeah, that's it. He's on a pokémon journey with him."  
"Oh, well then who do I talk to to get a Boulder Badge?"  
"A Boulder Badge. Well, that'd be me," the man replied, "By the way, I'm Flint, Brock's father."  
"I'm Austin Ketch-I'm Austin."  
"Well, nice to meet you. So, let's battle!" he enthusiastically replied. Right then, Stork walked into the gym.  
"Where's Brock?" he asked.  
"I'll explain later" I said, turning back to Flint, who was clearing the children off of the battle area.  
"Ok, Graveler, go!"  
A walking rock popped out of the pokéball. I pointed my pokédex at the strange pokémon:  
GRAVELER: A rock pokémon. The evolved form of Geodude. Graveler are rumored to be made of the strongest rock on the planet, causing them to have a very strong defense  
"What are the best pokémon to use against it?" I asked it.  
Graveler are weak against Water and Ground pokémon  
"Well, I don't have any water pokémon," I thought to myself, "But Togepy is part Ground. Togepy, go!"  
My Togepy came out of his pokéball, groggy from just waking up. He then saw the pokémon and got ready for battle.   
"Togepy!" he yelled in a determined voice.   
"Ok, Togepy, pound!"  
My Togepy started running and then jumped high in the air.  
"Graveler, defense curl!" Flint yelled. His Graveler tucked his arms and legs in and my Togepy hit the hard rock.  
"Togepy!" I screamed.  
He hit the ground once again, but got back up, determined to win.   
"Togepy, let's put it to sleep! Sing attack!"  
He started to sing and the Graveler's eyes started to dull until they finally closed and he hit the ground.  
"Graveler, return!" Flint cried, "Squirtle, go!"  
He then said with a red face, "My son always used rock pokémon, but Graveler was my only rock pokémon, so I had to get another pokémon."  
I then called Togepy back and opened my pokédex. "What's good against water?"  
The best pokémon to use against water are plant and grass pokémon  
"Ok. Oddish, go!"  
My Oddish popped out with a happy grin, "Oddish! Ish!"  
"Squirtle, water gun!"  
The water hit Oddish, only causing him to fall back. He immediately got up and waited for his next command.  
"Oddish," I screamed, "Poison Powder!"  
Oddish squinted his eyes and let a green powder shoot out from his leaves. They sprinkled down on Squirtle who then wobbled dizzily around until he hit the floor.  
"Squirtle, tackle!" Flint screamed frantically.  
The Squirtle slowly got up and started jogging at Oddish with dull eyes. He then lunged, but hit the ground and closed his eyes right in front of Oddish.  
"Oddish!" he screamed as he jumped up and down.   
"Way to go, Oddish!" Stork yelled from a corner.  
"Togepy!" my Togepy screamed.  
"Well, good job Austin," Flint said as he returned his Squirtle, "Here's your Boulder Badge."  
I looked at the badge with eyes wide. "My first badge!" I exclaimed as I showed it to Stork.  
"Way, to go, Austin!" Stork said with as much excitement.   
After saying goodbye to Flint and his children, we walked outside to find the sun setting behind the mountains.  
"Well," I said with a sigh, "This was an interesting day."  
Chapter 6  
After getting a full night of rest in Pewter City, Stork and I started to set out for Route 3. Before leaving, we stocked up on potions because Cerulean City was the next city over and was a ways away. Stork ended up having to sell 15 of his pokéballs to afford some potions. Also, my Togepy insisted on buying a head of lettuce, which had become a bad addiction of his.   
We finally left the city at around 9:30 a.m., but we were well ready for whatever would happen. Togepy sat on my shoulder while we walked, usually munching on a piece of lettuce happily. My Growlithe still refused to stay in his pokéball when there were plenty of things to sniff out on a spring day like today. We hiked and hiked, with Stork keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sounds or movement of pokémon.   
Eventually, my Togepy entered his pokéball because there was an unbearable heat outside. Stork and I were down to shorts and t-shirts, putting the rest of our clothes in our backpacks. My Growlithe began to pant heavily and I didn't want a fainted pokémon, so Stork and I looked for a water source of some kind.   
We finally found a pond that lay under a canopy of trees, so we went there and set our things down for lunch. My Growlithe happily gulped down water as his strength slowly returned.  
After Stork and I ate our lunches, I began to read a book by Professor Oak entitled, "Pokémon and You: The How-To on Catching and Raising Pokémon." Stork, on the other hand, wasn't ready to just sit down and wait for pokémon to come along, so he immediately took off to find a nearby rustling on the other side of the pond (or it could be called a small lake because it was quite large). In a matter of minutes I heard a familiar yelp, "OWWWWWW!"  
"What has Stork down this time?" I asked myself as I got up and went to the source of the sound.  
When I saw what it was, I practically dropped down laughing. Stork was standing red-faced with some sort of pokémon biting his butt with anger in its eyes.  
As I wiped tears from my eyes, I stuttered, "Stork...hehe...What did you...What did you do? Hahahaha!"  
"Shut up," he replied angrily, "get this thing off my ass!"  
As I slowly stopped laughing, I ordered Growlithe to attack, "Growlithe, sniff, um...bite it, sniff."  
My Growlithe even had a happy grin on its face when he bit the pokémon off of Stork. Stork then said, "I'll take it from here. This pokémon is mine!"  
"Growlithe," I commanded, "come back."  
I then pointed my pokédex at the small pokémon:  
EEVEE: An evolution pokémon. Eevee will evolve into three different pokémon, depending on if the trainer uses a water stone, a thunder stone, or a fire stone  
"Hey, Stork. Watch out, it might bite you again!" I yelled jokingly.  
"Hey, stay out of this. Spearow, let's do it!" he screamed as he threw his pokéball.  
"Spearow!" it screeched.  
"Spearow, peck it!"  
The Spearow then proceeded to dive bomb the eevee, pecking it several times, each time causing the poor pokémon to cry out more. But on another dive, the eevee jumped out of the way and bit into the Spearow's wing hard. So hard, the wing began to bleed.  
"Spearowwwww!" it cried out in pain.  
"Oh no. Spearow, return! Metapod, go!"  
"WHAT?" I yelled out in confusion, "What are you, doing, Stork?!"  
"What?" he asked, "Metapod will kick this little guy's butt!"  
"Don't you remember what my pokédex said? The only move Metapod knows is HARDEN! He has absolutely no offense!"  
Stork then realized the error of his mistake. But it was too late, the eevee had the poor Metapod pinned. Stork did the only thing he could, seeing that the eevee was blocking the pokéball ray from reaching Metapod, "Metapod, harden!"  
The Metapod's cocoon then started to become thicker and stronger, right when eevee was trying to slash it with its claws. The eevee cried out in pain as its claws broke on the hard shell. Stork then cried, "Metapod, return! Pidgey, gust!"  
The Pidgey flew out of the pokéball and started flapping its wings heavily, causing a gust of wind to form. The gust hid the eevee and knocked it to the ground. The fight was over and Stork screamed, "pokéball, go!" as he threw the red and white ball.  
The eevee finally gave up after about a minute of struggling in the pokéball. Stork picked it up and immediately released it. "Here you go, eevee," he said as he gave it some potion and then bandaged its claw. After returning and healing eevee, he released his Spearow and bandaged his wing. I looked down and noticed my Growlithe saw something over at the area where all our stuff was.  
"Growlithe," I said in a stern voice, "don't bark."  
He muffled his mouth and kept quiet while we slowly headed towards the site. I noticed our bag of food was tipped over and was shaking. "Hey," I said, "there's something in our food!" I ran over there and grabbed the bag, closing it on top. The bag began shaking frantically and I struggled to hold on. Unfortunately, I dropped it and a small pokémon fell out with a piece of bread in its mouth. It ignored me though, and continued to eat the spilled food. I pointed my pokédex at it:  
POLIWAG: A water pokémon. This tadpole enjoys eating algae, but also enjoys eating grainy foods, such as bread and wheat. Trainers should be cautious of its water-type moves  
"Ok," I said, "water is weak against plant. Oddish, go!"  
My Oddish popped out of his pokéball and yelled with a happy face, "Oddish!"  
The Poliwag looked up at us, but then back at the more interesting food. "Oddish, sleep powder!"  
My Oddish proceeded to spray the sleep powder on the Poliwag. The Poliwag looked at me, eyes dimming and then finally closing into a deep sleep.  
"Ok, Oddish, absorb!"  
Oddish then hopped on top of the sleeping Poliwag and started to glow softly as it sucked health from it. "OK, Oddish, that's enough. We don't want to faint it," I said, taking precautions. He hopped off of the tadpole as I threw my pokéball, "Pokéball, go!"  
The ball didn't shake for long because the Poliwag was sleeping deeply. "Oddish, return!" I then yelled as the red ray came out and sucked Oddish into his pokéball. After healing the Poliwag and returning it to its pokéball once again, I walked over to Stork who was just finishing bandaging up his pokémon.   
"I heard some sounds," he said, "What happened?"  
"Oh, I caught a Poliwag who was eating our food. He's still sleeping from my Oddish's sleep powder."  
"Cool. Well, let's get going," he said as he stood up and then yiped in pain, "Owww! Y'know, maybe we shouldn't do anymore hiking to day."  
"Yeah," I agreed with a smirk, "Your butt might need to be tended to."  
"Shut up," he said as he started waddling over to our campsite with me following him, laughing.  
"I can't believe you let that eevee bite you," I said to him, still laughing, as we laid down and started picking up the mess that Poliwag left us.  
"I didn't see it coming. It bit me out of nowhere!"  
"Sure it did," I replied as I gave Growlithe some of the half-chewed bread scraps.  
***  
That night, it was spaghetti for dinner and scraps for the pokémon. The injured Spearow would not be able to fly for a couple days, and eevee's claw would need to heal a couple days also. His Metapod and his Pidgey were unharmed, so they were fine. My Poliwag finally woke at dinnertime, so he got to feed of some more bread. We also got him some pond water to drink.  
We had a fire going, which was really easy to start with Growlithe around, and Stork and I talked while our pokémon ate.  
"So," he said, "today was a pretty good day. I've got myself an Eevee and you caught a Poliwag."  
"Yep," I replied, "So what are you going to evolve your Eevee into?" I then asked as I opened my pokédex:  
Eevee will evolve into Vaporeon with the water stone, Jolteon with the thunder stone, and Flareon with the fire stone   
"I don't know. I don't have a water, electric, or fire pokémon yet, but I've always liked electric pokémon, so I might use the thunder stone," he replied.  
"Well, I don't know which one I'd do," I then said, "If it were me, well, I wouldn't even want an Eevee because I wouldn't be able to decide."  
"Yeah, well, we'll see," Stork said as he started to return his pokémon to their pokéballs. I soon did the same, except for Togepy who was still chewing on a piece of lettuce. When he was finished, he waddled over to me and touched his pokéball, which quickly sucked him in.   
"So," I then said to Stork while looking at my map, "route 3 ends I about a mile or so, where it leads to Mt. Moon."  
"Mt. Moon?" he asked, "Check your pokédex and see what it says about it."  
I flipped open my pokédex and said, "Search Mt. Moon."  
MT. MOON: This mountain is rumored to be filled with the mysterious stone called the MOON STONE. Pokémon of Mt. Moon include Zubat, Paras, and the rare Clefairy and Clefable  
"Cool," Stork said, "I'm gonna catch all of them!"  
"Ok," I said, "Just don't get too eager to catch all of them or you might just not catch any of them."  
"Whatever," Stork said with a grin.  
"Hey," I then started, "What happens if you get over 6 pokémon?"  
"Oh, Viridian has their own professor, too. He's the brother of Professor Oak. I think his name was Drake Oak or something like that. Anyway, my pokémon will be transported there if I get over six."  
"Oh," I replied, "then why didn't you have a starting pokémon and a pokédex?"  
"Well," Stork started, "Our professor didn't have any pokémon to begin with, and he never received any pokédexes from his brother. Apparently, the shipment was lost or something like that."  
"Oh," I then said, "Aren't you mad?"  
"Nah. First of all, I still had my Pidgey, so I didn't need a starting pokémon. And, now that you're around, I don't need a pokédex."  
"Oh," I said with a grin, "so you're just using me for my pokédex?"  
"Well, yeah," he started with an even bigger grin, "you think I would hang out with you because I'm your friend?"  
"Of course not. But what about your pokémon license? Your pokédex is supposed to be your license."  
He replied easily, pulling out a small, laminated index card, "Well, we got these nifty ID cards." The card had a picture of him and other info on it.  
"Cool," I said, "Anyway, we better get to bed because we've gotta get to Mt. Moon tomorrow."  
"Yeah," Stork agreed with a yawn, "Good night."  
"G'night," I replied.  
Chapter 7  
The next morning, I woke to the sound of a Pidgey squawking in the distance. I was cooking some bacon, but I couldn't cook any eggs because Togepy protested yet again. Stork was still sleeping with his butt wrapped in bandages from the Eevee attack yesterday. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at me.  
"What time is it?" Stork asked me in a drowsy voice.  
"Umm," I said as I looked at my watch, "about 8:00."  
He suddenly plopped back into his pillow and faced the other way. "Wake me up when we're ready to leave," he said.  
"What about breakfast?" I asked him, but it was too late. Stork was already fast asleep.   
About an hour later, I had everything back and was filtering some water while Stork washed his face next to me. After pouring the filtered water and separating it into two separate water bottles, I fed all of our pokémon and then cleaned up the dishes, with the aid of Stork.  
We finally returned to Route 3 at around 10:30 as we commenced hiking to Mt. Moon. It was only about a mile away, so the hike wouldn't take long. It will be getting through the mountain that poses the problem.   
"So," Stork said to me, trying to start some conversation as we hiked, "umm. How are your pokémon?"  
"They're ok," I said, pointing to my growing Togepy, who was sitting on my shoulder and eating a piece of lettuce, "Only Togepy here is getting a little too fat off of this lettuce. He eats it nonstop!"   
"I know. Maybe you should get some of that pokémon Slim-Fast stuff. My dad said it works great."  
"Sure," I replied sarcastically, "I'll spend $6 an ounce for that crap. Plus, Togepy wouldn't eat that unless it was lettuce-flavored."  
"Ugh," he said with a disgusted look, "Let's get onto another topic, ok?"  
After an hour of hiking through small brush and trees, we finally arrived at the base of the mountain. There was a small visitor's center nearby, so we started walking towards it. Plus, Stork really had to go to the bathroom.   
In the small lobby, there were several areas to visit. To our left, there was a tiny pokécenter with a Nurse Joy sitting on a stool. In front of us was a small mart where you could buy pokéballs, potions, and other such things. To our immediate right, a doorway led to the actual information area where you could learn about the history and pokémon that inhabit Mt. Moon. As I walked into there, Stork headed straight to the bathrooms, which were next to the mart.   
In the information area, I learned specifically about the pokémon that inhabited this huge mountain. I pressed the button that would signal the computer speaker.  
"Mt. Moon is said to be the very origin of pokémon. Scientists assume that all pokémon were carried over on a space ship or a comet. It is said that this comet broke into several pieces as it entered out atmosphere. The remaining piece was broken into several parts last year. This rock is called the moon stone, and will evolve certain pokémon. The guardians of these rocks are the pokémon, Clefairy and Clefable, both of which inhabit this mountain. Other pokémon in this mountain include Zubat and Paras."  
During the conversation, Stork had come back from the bathroom and was looking at some stuffed pokémon. I walked over to him and looked at the display. It had a small Paras on the ground planting it's mushrooms, while a Zubat hung from above. There was also a stuffed Clefairy, which was holding a small, glowing rock.  
As we worked our way around the room, a young girl about our age stormed into the circular room with two small pokémon running and flapping along behind her.  
Despite the fact that I already knew what they were, I still pulled out my pokédex at them:  
PARAS: The mushroom pokémon. Paras are known to plant the mushrooms that grow on their back and plant them in the ground, where they grow. These mushrooms are often used in potions and antidotes  
I then looked at the other:  
ZUBAT: A bat pokémon. Zubat use their special attack, LEECH LIFE, to suck the health away from their opponent. They are often found in caves and small, damp caverns  
"Leave me alone, you stupid pokémon!" the girl screamed at the Zubat and Paras.  
Stork then confronted her and started talking to her, "Um. Can I ask why you don't want those two pokémon?"  
"Because," she started, "they just followed me out of Mt. Moon. I don't want them, I want a Clefaiy!"  
"But those pokémon obviously like you. And why do you want a Clefairy?"  
"Because that's what I've always wanted!" she yelled, "My professor never had one, so I got stuck with a Bulbasaur. But I've come all the way from Fuchsia City to Mt. Moon so I could catch one. But instead, these two pokémon found me and started following me. I came out of this cave to get rid of these things, but they won't leave me alone!"  
"Oh," Stork said with a sly look on his face, "Would you be willing to trade me your Zubat and Paras for a Clefairy?"  
"You mean you have one?! Of course I would!" she screamed happily.  
"Well, not exactly Stork said, "But I can catch one for you."  
I then cut in as I whispered to Stork, "Are you crazy? Don't make promises you can't keep!"  
"Don't worry," he whispered back, "It will be easy as pie. I mean, how hard can a small pokémon be to catch?"   
***  
"Ok, I admit. I was a little wrong. But there's always tomorrow."  
We had entered the cave soon after our confrontation with Sarah (whose name we learn later). Sarah had set up camp outside the mountain because she had some pokémon to heal. After hiking for several hours we concluded that there were no Clefairies in this mountain. Or at least I thought that. But Stork was determined to get one. My Togepy had long since fallen asleep, and I had to have Growlithe to light the way with a small flame.   
"Stork, it's been 5 hours! And we haven't seen one pokémon!"  
"Yeah, but I know we'll find a Clefairy! I can feel it. Why don't we just find a nice area outside of the cave and campout there?"  
"Ok," I replied with a sigh, "We might as well. It's getting late."  
We soon found an opening that led to a courtyard of grass. There were a few trees and we even noticed another tent on the other side of the small field.   
As I unpacked the tent materials and Stork prepared dinner, the people who were staying in the tent opposite us confronted us. Both were in their twenties, but one was a guy and the other a girl. The man spoke first, "Hey, are those pokéballs on you belt?" he asked.  
"Yeah," I replied, "Do you have pokémon to?"  
"Yep. Hey, do you kids wanna battle?" the woman then asked.  
"Ok," Stork said as he inflated one of his pokéballs, "Let's battle! One pokémon a piece. After we're done, my friend here will battle with the guy."  
"Ok," both strangers agreed as the woman stepped up and inflated one of her pokéballs.  
"Charmeleon, go!" she screamed as the pokéball flew out of her hands and onto the ground. The red lizard looked mad and I feared that Stork might not come out the winner of this match.  
"Char!"  
Stork still looked determined, despite the fearless pokémon's attitude, "Metapod, go!"  
"Are you crazy?" I screamed out.  
"Don't worry," he said, "Metapod's harden move will prevent him from burning!"  
"You better know what you're doing," I said cautiously as I stepped out of the way.  
"Charmeleon, scratch!" the woman screamed. The Charmeleon then squatted down and fired itself into the air, when it was high enough, it swiped at Metapod.  
But as the Charmeleon flew through, Metapod dodged out of the way and allowed the large lizard to hit the rough ground with a "thud."   
"Ok, Metapod, Hard-huh?" Stork stopped as the Metapod began to glow. As the green cocoon glowed, a figure emerged from its back.   
As all four of us watched in awe, a blue butterfly came out.  
"A blue Butterfree," the man said as his mouth gaped open, "I've never seen one this color before. It must be rare."  
"Do you think so?" Stork asked the man without moving his eyes away from his newly evolved pokémon.   
"Well, yeah, I'm sure you could make big money by selling that pokémon," he then said.  
"I wouldn't sell it for anything! I've worked hard raising it from a Caterpie and I wouldn't give it up!" Stork said, now looking down at the man.  
"Ok," the man said, now stepping back.  
"Charmeleon, ember it while it's not paying attention!"  
The Charmeleon suddenly blew a gust of fire that chaffed Butterfree's wing.   
"Hey," Stork cried out, "that was a cheap shot. Butterfree, are you ok?"  
It made a whining noise, but got up and flapped haphazardly into the air, determined to win.  
"Alright, Butterfree! Sleep powder!"  
The butterfly began spraying a yellow powder onto the Charmeleon, who quickly hit the ground and fell asleep with a last sigh.  
"Charmeleon, return now!" the woman yelled as the bright red light sucked the lizard into the darkness of the pokéball.  
"Way to go! Butterfree, return!" Stork also did, cautious of his pokémon's hurt wing.   
After Stork and the woman left the battle area, the man and I stepped up to each other.  
"Ok, same rules. One pokémon a piece."  
"Ok," I said, "then I call out Growlithe!"  
"Fine," he said as my puppy popped out with a happy yipe, "And I'm using Geodude!"  
The funny rock pokémon with arms appeared. I pointed my pokédex at it:   
GEODUDE: A Rock pokémon. Geodude are often mistaken for boulders in fields and many people trip over them. Like all rock pokémon, Geodude are weak against water pokémon  
"Damn," I said to myself, "but Growlithe will do."  
"Geodude, tackle!" the male trainer screamed. The Geodude must of been of a high level, because before I knew it he had Growlithe pinned to the ground.  
"Growlithe, fight him off! Use your ember!"  
My Growlithe complied as he shot a flame right into the rock pokémon's eyes. The Geodude fell back in pain.  
"Ok, Growlithe, use your take down attack!" I yelled, trying to take advantage of the opportunity.  
Growlithe began running at the Geodude, ready to tackle it at the last moment.  
"Geodude. Use your defense curl to block the dog!" the man screamed frantically.  
The Geodude was up off the ground and quickly covered its face, or rather head, with his arms. My Growlithe hit it hard and was knocked unconscious.  
"Damn it!" I yelled, "Growlithe, return!"  
"Good fight," the man said, extending his hand.  
I shook his and thanked him.  
"You need to work on you pokémon's defense. I noticed that his offence is great, but he was weak when it came to defending itself."  
"Thanks," I said, "I'll try to train him better."  
"Oh yeah, my name's Brian. And my fiancée here is Laura."  
"Fiancée?" Stork broke in, "Congratulations."  
"Thanks," Brian said and then whispered to us, "But she can really be a pain in the butt when it comes to pokémon battling."  
"I noticed," Stork said with a small laugh.  
That night, the four of us moved are tents closer to each other so we could talk together around a fire.  
As Stork roasted a marshmallow over the glowing fire, Brian told us their story. He said that they were traveling from Cinnabar Island, in hopes of finding all of the pokémon before they finally settled down and got married.   
***  
The next morning, Stork and I awoke to the sound of rustling outside of our tent. We unzipped the cover and stepped outside, only to discover that Brian and Sarah were packing up to leave.   
As I started to cut up some apple for breakfast, Stork began to put the tent away. Brian just finished packing his backpack when Sarah looked at us and pulled a gun out of her jacket. She then called out her Charmeleon.  
"What are you doing?" Stork cried out.  
"Ok, listen kid," Sarah started as Brian also pulled out a gun and pointed it at me, "We're not engaged or anything like that. My real name's Erin and this is Jake. We're members of Team Rocket, and we would really appreciate it if you would just give us your pokémon before we have to make holes in your bodies."  
"Are you crazy?" I yelled in horror.   
"Well, yeah," Brian said with a shrug, "But we really need to get some pokémon for the boss, so if you wouldn't mind, give us your pokémon."  
"No way!" Stork cried out. All of the sudden, the large Charmeleon swung his tail and hit Stork hard on his shoulder, knocking him down to the ground.   
Sarah then looked at me and said coolly, "Your pokémon, NOW."  
"Damn it," I said as I pulled the five pokéballs off of my belt. Stork started to struggle and get up, but collapsed with a sigh.  
"Your friend isn't getting up for awhile," Brian said with a sneer, "Let's hope you don't turn out the same way."  
"Screw you," I said without thinking. I was quickly greeted with a swift kick in the gut.  
"Ughhh," I mumbled as I rolled to the ground. I waited for the air to return to my lungs as I barely heard them talking.  
"Ok," Sarah said, "Grab that other kids pokéballs and-" I blacked out as their blurry images faded into blackness through my eyes.   
There was no chance on getting my pokémon back. In my unconsciousness, I began to dream about how I caught each one. How, about a month ago, I watched my egg hatch to reveal Togepy, my first pokémon. And how I battled the lone man in his cabin and won the trust of Growlithe. And then, I began to reminisce about how I first met Stork in the Viridian Forest, and when our journey began as we proudly hiked out of Viridian City. Soon, I found myself remembering the battles I have fought in this short period of time. How I battled Flint in Pewter for my very first badge, the Boulder Badge. And of all the trainers that I've fought, and won with. And then of the ones that I've lost to, Like Brian. Soon enough, I found myself dreaming of the traitors and how they had stolen my only pokémon, and some of my closest friends.  
But, light began to fill this dream world of memories as I slowly regained consciousness and a figure began to emerge in my eyes. As I awakened, the figured became clearer and Stork's face appeared, smiling down at me.  
"Hey, Austin," he said gently as he put a warm, damp towel on my forehead.  
"Where are we?" I asked slowly, still trying to realize I was in the real world now.  
"In a hospital. You've been out for about five hours."  
That brought my attention to how I got knocked out so I asked him in a dazed voice, "What about Team Rocket? What happened after I fell unconscious?"  
"Well, Brian and Sarah were collecting our pokéballs when Brian accidentally let out your Growlithe. Well, you can guess what happened after that. Soon, a fire was accidentally started when your Growlithe was roasting the traitors, and the authorities arrived when they saw the smoke. They found us, and we were both put into this hospital on the other side of the mountain."  
"What about my pokémon? Togepy, Growlithe..." I said as I sat up, now more worried about the whereabouts of my pokémon than of my aching head.  
"Don't worry," Stork comforted me, "They're in a pokémon center, getting some rest hopefully."  
I then lay down with a sigh. As a nurse gave me a glass of water, I continued to question Stork, "What about the Clefairy? Aren't you going to get one for the girl back at the visitors center?"  
"She's already got one. You see, that fire brought her attention to the mountain, also, so she quickly hiked up to the spot. Anyway, when she got there, there was a pokémon stuck in the flames. She used her Bulbasaur to pull it out safely, and now she has a brand new Clefairy."  
"Cool," I said, "but what about the Zubat and Paras? Didn't you want them?"  
"Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that," Stork said as he pulled out two pokéballs, "She gave them to me because she felt sorry for us. She said I would make a better trainer anyway. But I had to send my Kakuna to the professor in Viridian. I think it will do okay there."  
"Yeah, let's hope so," I said as I slowly laid my head on the soft pillow and opened my mind to the majestic dreams that would enter my head.   
Chapter 8  
The hospital was busy as different patients came in and out. Next to my bed was an elderly hiker who had broken his ankle while walking up a mountain, according to the nurse. He said that he was searching for new and rare pokémon.   
One evening, after Stork had left for a local hotel he was staying at, I started to talk to the man.  
"Hey," I started as I looked over at him, "have you ever found any rare pokémon before?"  
He closed his eyes and did not reply for several minutes. The silence was eerie as I stared and the man and waited for an answer. Finally, he opened his eyes, looked at me and started with a sigh, "Once, while hiking in the Mystic Mountains. I was only about 30 years old then, still young and full of energy. I had just resonantly received a Ph.D. in Pokémon Research. After days of hiking in the frigid tops of the mountains, I was desperately out of food and needed to get medical attention."  
He paused as he again closed his eyes and broke into a silence. Soon, he continued, "I was out of food, cold, as was on the brink of death. Until I saw something. Something so majestic, it can hardly be described. It flew over me as I stared at it and slowly fell unconscious because of the cold. In my dreams, I pictured an icy bird with a great wingspan, fly me to safety. When I woke, I found myself in a hospital bed, with a nurse tending to me. When I asked what had happened to me, she told me they found me on their doorsteps, frozen and stricken in frostbite."   
He again paused, but quickly continued, "She said it was a miracle that I survived, and that it was probably some other hiker that saved me. I didn't believe her, so I looked through my research books that evening. I didn't leave a page unviewed, and I was up all night. Finally, as the sun rose outside, I found it. It was said to be a mirage, but the book said some hikers had seen it before. As I looked at the picture, my mind jumped from flashback to flashback, as I tried so hard to remember the blurred image that had saved me. It was called an Articuno, one of three legendary birds. After years of searching for this bird, I never once again saw it. Ever since then, I have continued to look harder for rare pokémon and maybe even new species."  
I stared at the man and slowly recalled what he had said to me. All I could say was "Wow."  
"I thought you might like that story," he said to me with a slight smile, "All the researchers and colleagues I told about my awesome experience laughed at me. Oh, by the way, my name is Richard. Richard Grayson."  
"I'm Austin Ketchum, from Pallet town," I replied as we shook hands.  
"So, how did you come across that unfortunate bump on your head?" Mr. Grayson asked me, now looking at my bandages.   
"It's sorta a long story," I replied, "But, to make a long story short, it was form an incident with Team Rocket on the mountain."  
"Oh yes, Team Rocket," he said, "I've had some run-ins with them before. But I think you've heard enough about Team Rocket if they've put you into a hospital. So, are you training pokémon?"  
"Yep. I've been on the road for a couple weeks now, gathering pokémon with my friend Stork. He was the guy in here earlier today."  
"Oh yes. He's a nice young lad. I talked to him and he told me he wanted to become a great pokémon collector."  
"Yeah, that's Stork," I said, "He's always on the watch for new pokémon."  
"Well, I believe that he might want to meat a friend of mine. His name is Bill, and he's currently manning a lighthouse on the coast. As a matter of fact, I believe that it's only about 30 miles from this hospital. He, like me, is looking for new pokémon and rare ones. I think he recently had an encounter with a giant one that he couldn't identify. Why don't you ask Stork tomorrow if he'd like to meet Bill?"  
"Sure, it would be great if we could come with you," I said excitedly.  
Soon, we both fell tired and went to sleep.  
***  
"It would be great!" Stork exclaimed.  
It was the next morning and we were all eating our breakfast. Apparently, Stork really wanted to go and meet Bill.  
"Splendid!" Richard exclaimed, "We'll leave tomorrow, when I can get this wretched cast off of my foot."  
"Great!" I exclaimed as I finished the last of my toast. I then looked at Stork and asked, "Hey Stork, have you been looking after Togepi and everyone?"  
"Yep," he replied as he pulled out a knapsack with my pokéballs, and then let out Togepi.   
"Brreeeeeee!" the baby pokémon exclaimed as he hopped onto my lap.  
"What the devil is that?" Mr. Grayson said wide-eyed, "I've never seen this pokémon before! This is a breakthrough!"  
"What?" I asked, confused, "I didn't know he was rare or anything."  
"Togepi, you call him. I heard that a professor in Pallet had found an uncharted egg, but I never knew-"  
"Oh, Professor Oak?" I asked, "Yep, he gave me an egg to use as my starting pokémon because he didn't have any live pokémon anymore. So, this thing is rare?"  
"It's a brand new specie!" he yelled in a enthusiastic voice, "I can't believe you have one! Why, I could spend a lifetime researching this one pokémon!"  
"Brrreeeee!" Togepi yelled as he made a lung for some of my toast. He started to eat some as Mr. Grayson picked him up.  
"Has he always been in this shell?" he asked me.  
"Yep, ever since he first hatched." I replied.  
"Amazing," the professor said under his breath. "Well, I suppose you want your pokémon back. Here you go," he said as he handed me back Togepi.  
We ate lunch together that day and dinner at night, and Stork and I listened all day as Richard talked about his travels and encounters. He even told us how he caught his only pokémon, Pidgeot. When he first encountered it, it was only a Pidgey, but he had worked it up until it evolved. Apparently, he was just a child when he found it, but he said that he had only a stick and a pokéball and caught it.   
As I went to bed that night, I dreamed about Grayson's journeys, and pictured myself being carried to safety by that Articuno, and myself trying to catch that Pidgey. They were all happy dreams.  
***  
Mr. Grayson hopped down the steps of the hospital with his bags with the help of the nurse. I carried his bags, and Stork was just finishing packing some bags away in Mr. Grayson's jeep. It was mid-morning, and I had had a great night of sleep and dreams.   
We finally pulled out of the hospital and started down towards the base of Mt. Moon at around noon. It would take only an hour to get to the coast and the lighthouse. Grayson said he had called ahead and told us that Bill would be happy to see us. I could tell that Stork was restless because he kept shifting his position and looking for the coast.   
Soon enough, the slight outline of the lighthouse could be seen on the horizon. When the jeep finally pulled up, a man with a slight British accent and a huge smile on his face happily confronted us.  
"Welcome!" he exclaimed. "Good to see you again, Richard. It's been awhile."  
"That it has," Mr. Grayson replied as the shook hands.  
"So, boys," Bill started as he looked at us, "I've heard that you two are trainers."  
Stork replied, "Yeah, we are. Except I want to own all of the pokémon and Austin here just wants to become the best trainer in the world."  
"Oh, really?" Bill said with a slight grin, "Well, Stork. If you want to own all of the pokémon, then you have to know all of the pokémon. That's what I do. I research pokémon and try to find new species."  
Stork was suddenly intrigued as he replied, "Wow. So I have to know about all of the pokémon? But being a researcher sounds pretty fun."  
"Oh, yes, it is!" Bill replied enthusiastically, "Just the thrill of finding new pokémon specie is great! Why, Stork, why don't I show you the inside of the lighthouse? I have a research center where we can study different pokémon."  
Stork then asked, now intent on Bill, "Have you ever found any rare pokémon before, Bill?"  
"Why, yes! It was just last year that I met a giant pokémon..."  
And so Bill continued on a story about his run-in with this rare pokémon. I sort of dazed off as we entered the lighthouse and I saw the vast array of pokémon pictures lining the walls. I stared in awe, along with Stork and Mr. Grayson, at the pictures. But after looking, I never once saw a picture of Togepi.   
"Hey, Bill," I started, "Where's the picture of Togepi?"  
"Togepi? Oh, yes. I believe Professor Oak told me that he gave you a rare pokémon egg. May I see this 'Togepi'?"  
"Sure," I said as I pulled out the pokéball and sent Togepi out. When he appeared he was still sleeping.  
Bill picked up the baby pokémon and started to examine it. "Astounding," he said, "So, you hatched this yourself, Austin?"  
"Yep, all by myself."  
"Do you mind if I study it in the lab for a couple minutes? Why, we could get some great info for the pokédex!"  
"It's ok," I said as I followed Bill into the lab, along with Stork.  
Mr. Grayson then said, "I'm going to go finish some work from awhile back. Have fun, boys!"  
"Bye, Mr. Grayson! Thanks for all your great stories!" I said as I turned around and continued to follow Bill into the room.  
The lab was extremely cool. There were posters with pictures of pokémon lining the walls, and there was even a sleeping pokémon in the corner. I pointed my pokédex at it:  
LICKITUNG: A tongue pokémon. Lickitung are known to have tongues as long as long as two feet  
"Oh, yes," Bill said as he noticed me looking at the pink pokémon, "that's a pokémon I just recently caught. He was in my garden so I decided to catch him. He's just tired after working for me today."  
"Cool, I said, now directing myself back to Bill.  
"Ok, Togepi," Bill started as he picked up my pokémon, "Why don't we get some measures?"  
He then began to measure the width of Togepi's shell and his height, along with his weight. I could hear him slowly mutter numbers under his breath as he recorded them, "That's three point five pounds..."   
My Togepi laughed as the measuring tape tickled his head and when Bill picked him up. Soon, Bill put Togepi in a small area with grass in it and began to take notes on his behavior. I watched silently for awhile, but soon began to find interest in looking in Bill's logbook, which also had pictures of pokémon he had encountered. All this while, Stork was looking at the Lickitung and softly stroking it.   
Soon enough, Bill was finished as he said to me, "All done, Austin. Thank you for letting me borrow this wonderful little creature. I think the data I took will come in handy in the next pokédex upgrade."  
"No Problem, Bill," I said as I replaced the log and took back Togepi. He was tired, so I returned him to his pokéball where he could sleep silently.   
Bill then said that he had to go finish some other boring research, and that we were free to roam the area and the nearby beaches. Stork and I happily agreed as we grabbed our things and walked a small distance to the beach.  
It was the middle of the afternoon by the time we reached the beach and set our bags down. Stork and I released all ten of our pokémon. My Poliwag headed straight for the water, but my Oddish and Growlithe began to play with each other. Togepi, on the other hand, hung out on my lap as I just sat and watched the playing pokémon. Stork's Pidgey enjoyed flying over the sea, along with his Butterfree, whose wings sparkled in the sunlight. His Eevee and Paras soon joined Growlithe and Oddish's small game of "tag" also.   
Stork and I laughed at our pokémon as they ran and jumped, and just took a well-deserved break. It was also relaxing for us, getting away from the busy cities and people. As I looked out onto the horizon, I noticed shapes going in and out of the water. They were like beautiful sea dragons, but I thought they might just be mirages. If they were pokémon, though, my pokédex wouldn't be able to identify them, for they were too far away.  
We watched the sun eventually set as we headed in with our tired pokémon. When we finally reached the lighthouse, we found Bill's chef had prepared a delicious meal.   
A few days passed as we went about our daily chores of helping Bill with research and just exploring the area. We learned a lot about Bill and what he did as a pokémon researcher, and Stork was always very intent on what he said. Mr. Grayson occasionally returned, coming from his local cottage only a few miles away. He and Bill would talk about their studies over dinner, while Stork and I just listened to them.   
One night after dinner, we headed to bed into an extra bedroom and got ready to go to bed just like every other night. I started to talk to Stork as we climbed into bed, "Hey, Stork. We should probably leave tomorrow before noon, so we can reach the boat that will go to Cerulean in time."  
Stork was mysteriously silent for a few seconds, and then replied, "Um, Austin? I don't think I'll be going with you to Cerulean."  
"What?!" I yelled as I shot straight up from bed.   
"Well, I feel that this is the place for me, Austin. I belong here. It's the perfect place for me to learn about pokémon, so I can become a great pokémon researcher."  
I was almost angry as I talked back to him, "Since when have you wanted to become a pokémon researcher?"  
He replied quickly, "In the past couple of days, Bill has taught me so much about pokémon. He has gotten me interested and now I want to follow in his footsteps and become a great pokémon researcher. Bill told me that I could be his student for a couple years. I'm sorry, Austin, but I think I have to do this."  
"You don't have to do anything!" I yelled. I was furious that he would even consider leaving our friendship and me to study pokémon.  
"Yes, I do," Stork said calmly, "Austin, this is a chance of a lifetime, and I want to take it. I've already called my parents and they said it would be fine. I think it's best for me."  
That's when my anger quickly ceased. I then realized how stubborn I was being and that it would be best for him.  
"I'm sorry, Stork. I've only known you for a couple weeks now, but we have been through so much together. I just don't want to go on without you. But it is your choice, and I hope you become a great researcher someday."  
"Thanks for understanding, Austin. It means a lot to me. Plus you can always write to me and tell me what's going on. Anyway, it's time to get to sleep. You've got to catch that boat tomorrow and I have to start my training."   
It was hard for me to sleep that night, knowing that it would probably be the last one I ever spent with Stork. We had only been together for about a month, but we had formed such a close relationship, that it would be hard for me tomorrow to have to say goodbye.  
***  
I woke up at 6:00 the next morning, and then quickly packed my bags and brought them downstairs. Stork was already eating breakfast and was petting Lickitung, now awake and happy.  
"Good morning, Austin," Stork said cheerfully. I wondered why he wasn't as depressed as I was that we were separating. I assumed that it was because he just wanted to stay off of the topic.   
I ate breakfast and fed my pokémon as well, and then went outside, where Bill and Stork were observing a pokémon in the distance. I followed their glances and found that they were looking at the same creatures I had seen a couple days ago.  
"Astonishing," Bill gaped, as he looked through a pair of binoculars, "Simply amazing."  
"What are they?" I asked curiously.  
Stork proudly answered my question, "We think that they are a pair of Dragonairs, which are extremely rare."  
I looked back out to see and saw their sleek bodies jumping in and out of the water. Soon, the water dragons disappeared and we continued about our business. Mr. Grayson came by after a couple of minutes, to wish me farewell on the boat. He offered to drive us all to the dock, and we gladly accepted.  
On the way to the boat docks (located in a small village called Harborville), it was completely silent. I think the fact that Stork and I might never see each other again was finally taking effect on him as he blankly stared out his window at the sea. I was also silent, but knew that I would have to go on alone and wihtout him.  
After an eternity, we reached the docks and I began to unload my bags, with the help of the other two. We loaded them onto the small ferry, and then I looked back at Stork. He was looking down at the ground, but then looked back up at me, and held out his hand. He dropped a pokéball into my ball into my palm.  
"Stork, I-" I tried to say, but he interrupted me.   
"That's my Butterfree. Please take care of it, Austin, because I know you will."  
"But Stork. This was the first pokémon you ever caught! Plus, it's really rare because it's blue!"  
"Please take it, Austin. It would mean so much to me if I knew that you were taking care of it for me, training it to become strong."  
"Thanks, Stork," I said as I quickly hugged him and then put the pokéball away.   
"Goodbye, Austin," Stork said, trying to hide a tear, "Make sure to write and tell me how many trainers you've beaten!"  
I softly laughed, but also tried to hide back a tear. "Goodbye, Stork." With that, I turned around and boarded the boat. I looked back and saw Stork lower his head as Bill put his hand on his shoulder. Stork was gently shaking as the boat left and his figure became smaller and smaller. Finally, he was no more than a speck as the boat exited the harbor and headed for Cerulean City.  
Chapter 9  
I sat in my small bunker and looked out the window at the waves. They were glimmering in the moonlight, causing a surreal effect. But I wasn't thinking about the waves. It had been only a couple hours since I had left Stork at the pier, and already I missed him.   
Soon, a man in a blue uniform knocked on my door, but entered before I could reply.  
"Ticket please," said the man as he opened a small envelope. I reached into my pocket and took out the ticket. I then handed to him without a word.  
After he had taken my ticket, he looked at me and asked in a slightly British accent, "Why the glum face? If it's sea-sickness, there are special bags in that pocket over-"  
I cut him off before he could show me where the "Barf Bags" were, "Umm, no. It's not that. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. In fact, I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go to sleep now."  
"Oh, ok," said the man with a confused look. He knew there was something bugging me, but he didn't bother to question it as he stepped out of my room and closed the door.   
I wasn't tired, I just wanted to be alone. I lay down on my bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. After several minutes of mindless pondering, my knapsack on the table adjacent to my bed started to shake. A red beam shot out from inside and hit the floor, soon forming the shape of Togepi.   
"Breee!" he said as he waddled over to his empty food bowl and picked it up. He started shaking it up and down in an irritated manner.   
"Are you hungry?" I asked as I rose from my bed and picked him and his bowl up.  
"Bree! Tokay!" he yelled happily.  
I set him down on the table and went into my knapsack, where I pulled out a paper bag full of food balls. I poured them into the bowl, and he began to munch on them with a grin on his face.   
"Oh yeah," I said as I again reached into my bag and pulled out a plastic bag with fresh lettuce in it, "I almost forgot! Here's some lettuce to munch on too!"   
I handed him a leaf of it and he immediately took it from me and dropped all of the other food that he was in the middle of eating. As he nibbled on it, I fed my other four pokémon their proper foods.  
After "dinner," I realized that I was now hungry, so I stepped out onto the ship in search of a restaurant of some sort. While walking down the side of the boat, there were many people looking out at the moon and I even saw some brushing their pokémon's hair or feeding them. As I walked by the many people, I soon found what I was looking for. I spotted a restaurant called "Rydon's Restaurant," and I quickly entered.  
After ordering a soda and a hamburger, I sat at a small table to wait for my food to come. I was next to a window facing the deck of the ship, and I watched many people pass by. Before long, a young boy entered. He looked to be about five or six, so I felt it my duty to invite him over to my table where he could sit with someone.   
"Hey, over here." I said as I motioned to the boy to come over. He came over and sat down across from me.  
"Hi," he said shyly.  
"Hi," I then said, extending my hand, "My name's Austin."  
He shook it and then replied, "I'm Robbie."  
"Nice to meet you, Robbie," I said with a smile, "So, where are your parents?"  
He replied, not as shy as he was before, "They're in Cerulean. I was staying with my grandparents in Harborsville for a couple weeks. Now I'm on my way back."  
"That sounds like fun. I'm on a pokémon journey, and Cerulean is my next stop to get a gym badge."  
His eyes suddenly glowed as he looked up at me, "Really? I love pokémon!"  
"Oh you do?" I asked, surprised by his sudden change in attitude.  
"Yeah!" he started, still as excited as before, "I've always wanted to become a trainer, but my parents won't let me. They think it's too dangerous to go out there alone. But my grandpa doesn't think that's fair, so he gave me a pokémon."  
"Won't your parents be mad?" I asked, trying to keep up the conversation.  
"Nah. My grandparents already told them. I haven't used it yet, though. And I don't know what kind it is. Do you wanna see it?"  
"How about after dinner?" I asked him, "Would you like anything?"  
"Can I get a milkshake?" he asked politely.  
"Sure," I said, "We'll get you one when the waiter comes by."  
After a short period of time, the waiter came with my hamburger and soda. I ordered Robbie a shake, and we talked about his parents and life while we ate.   
After paying the bill and leaving the restaurant, Robbie guided me towards a large room located below the deck. As I walked towards the room, I heard cries of people inside, and then the sounds of various pokémon.  
Robbie talked to me as we entered, "I've been hanging out in here all afternoon. It's a place where trainers can battle and show off their pokémon.   
"Wow," I said in astonishment as I looked at all of the pokémon that were jumping, running, and doing different attacks.   
Robbie pulled out a single pokéball and threw it on the ground.   
"Here's the pokémon that was given to me," he said as the red glow formed the shape of a pokémon.  
"Saaaanddslash!" it cried as it looked at us. I pulled out my pokédex and pointed it at the large rodent:  
SANDSLASH: A mole pokémon. Sandslash are known for their ability to quickly dig underground and attack their opponents from behind. Trainers should beware of their sharp teeth and claws  
"Cool," Robbie said as he approached his pokémon. He was about the same height as the Sandslash, but the pokémon looked a lot more powerful.  
"Hey," Robbie said as he looked back at me, "Do you want to battle?"  
"Ok, but be aware that this is your first battle and you might not win."  
"That's fine," he replied as he stepped into the proper area to prepare for battle.   
"Go, Poliwag!" I yelled as the tadpole pokémon appeared in the ring.   
"Ok, go Sandslash!"  
The Sandslash didn't even respond to the order. It simply started scratching it's leg.   
"What's going on?" Robbie asked, confused.  
"I don't know, Robbie. Try to get it over here again."  
"C'mon, Sandslash!" he again yelled. This time, the pokémon looked up and slowly walked over to the rink, but it still didn't appear to be that interested in what was going on.  
"Ok, Robbie, you go first."  
"Fine. Sandslash, bite his pokémon!"  
Again, the Sandslash didn't obey orders.  
"Umm," I said, just as confused as Robbie, "How about I go first? Maybe that will get Sandslash into the fight."  
"Ok," Robbie complied.  
"Poliwag, give it a bubble attack!"  
Poliwag began to shoot bubbles out of it's mouth. When they hit the Sandslash and poured water over him, he didn't appear too happy.  
"Saaannnnddslash!" he screamed as he sprinted towards my Poliwag. He quickly curled into a ball and knocked the tadpole back. Poliwag flew into the air, and hit the ground hard.  
"Pollii..." it muttered.  
"Looks like you won," I said with a big smile.  
"Way to go, Sandsl-huh?" Robbie said as the Sandslash again started to run fast towards Poliwag.   
"Sandslash, stop!" Robbie yelled. The pokémon didn't stop though. If I didn't do something, Poliwag would be in big trouble.  
"Poliwag, return!" I yelled over the cries of Robbie. The red glow shot out and sucked Poliwag back in, just before Sandslash hit it. Instead, Sandslash hit the wall and fell onto the ground, stunned.   
"Sandslash, return!" yelled Robbie as he called back his pokémon.  
"What happened?" he asked me as we walked to the stands on the side of the room.   
"I don't know," I said, "but maybe my pokédex does." I opened it up and the screen faded on:  
Sometimes, pokémon will disobey their trainers if they feel that their trainer is not worthy of owning them. Other known factors are if the pokémon feels hurt or rejected  
"Well," I started, "It's definitely not rejected or hurt."  
"Then that means that I'm not 'honorable' enough?"  
"Maybe. What did your grandfather use him for?"  
Robbie replied, "Grandpa told me that Sandshrew helped him win many battles, and that it evolved while he was fighting the Elite Four. He and it were really close, and he trained it well."  
"Let's see if my pokédex has any more information about this," I said as I again pulled it out again:   
The main reason why a pokémon would consider it's owner unworthy is if it's trainer does not have enough experience. Gym badges are a good way to earn experience for beginning trainers  
"So then I just have to get some gym badges?" Robbie asked me as I snapped shut my pokédex.  
"I guess so," I replied, "Hey, I'm heading to Cerulean Gym. Do you want to tag along and try to get a badge there?"  
"Sure!" Robbie said with the same excitement that he showed in the restaurant.   
After making sure Robbie got to his room for the night, I walked over to mine while others did the same. By the time I reached the bunker, it was almost midnight. I got ready for bed, and then fell asleep quickly after a busy day. It was just this morning that I had been at Bill's lighthouse. And now I was without Stork. I didn't know how I would become a great pokémon trainer without him. He was the reason that I won the Boulder Badge. He gave me the information I needed to win battles. How am I going to get the Cascade Badge now? These memories infested my dreams that night, as I remembered the short time spent with Stork, and how he brightened our journey.   
***  
As the morning sun arose over the horizon, the sleeping Cerulean brightened up. By the morning, the boat had reached Cerulean, and we would unload in an hour.   
After breakfast, I quickly got dressed, cleaned up my bunker and left it so I could get to Robbie before the boat docked. When I knocked on his cabin door, there was no reply.  
"Hello?" I said, still knocking on the door, "Robbie, are you in there?"  
After a few seconds of rustling, a faint and dreary voice replied, "What? Is it morning already?"  
"Hurry up, Robbie!" I said loudly, "The boat docks in thirty minutes!"  
This sparked his attention as the rustling grew louder and louder. After several minutes of this, he came out of the door, placing his hat on his head and rubbing his eyes.  
"Ok, Austin. Let's go," he then said.   
After unloading our items onto the pier, we packed everything up and started into the small city. It was a little bigger than Pewter, but not by much. There were cars going by and businessmen walking towards their buildings.   
Robbie and I soon found a pokécenter where we placed our pokémon for an hour or so. In the meantime, we walked through the business section of the city, where we found a small diner to eat breakfast in. It was weird not having Stork sitting across from me, and I tried to block the fact that he was gone out of my mind. I had to move on.   
Robbie could see my depression in the way I stared blankly at my pancakes and how I just didn't show any emotion. He knew there was something wrong, but he also knew better than to get into my personal affairs.  
At noon, after doing a little shopping and refreshing my supplies (antidotes, potions, and pokéballs), we walked over to the pokécenter again to pick up our pokémon. My Togepi was awake when I arrived, and was playing happily with one of the local Chansies.   
"Breee!" he yelled happily, as he was tossed into the air and then caught by the pink, oval-shaped Chansey. Once he spotted me, though, he hopped onto the ground and quickly waddled over to me with a happy grin. I picked him up and then looked at Nurse Joy.  
"You're pokémon are healed," she said as she handed me a small bill. I handed her my pokémon license, which has my ID number on it. After the computer processes the number, the bill goes straight into my account, which my parents pay off monthly.   
"Oh," I said before she finished typing in the amount of money, "Could you charge the cost of healing the Sandslash in there too?"   
"Certainly."  
"Gee," Robbie said to me, "You didn't have to do that."  
"Don't worry about it," I said, "It's hardly any money to heal one pokémon."  
"Ok, thanks." He said as he reached up to the counter and picked up his pokéball.   
With our pokémon fully healed, we walked to the town center, where the pokémon gym was located. On the outside of the gym, there was a sign listing "Show Times." This confused me as I walked in, only to hear cheering in the inside. Robbie and I walked in, astonished by the hundreds of people lining the bleachers around a large pool of water. In the middle, three girls in their teens were jumping in and out of the water, and doing many tricks beneath it also. We found some seats and sat down, waiting for the show to be over so we could get some answers.   
About twenty minutes later, the show ended and the people flocked out. Robbie and I were left alone in the open of this vast gym. We headed down he stairs that led to the base floor of the gym, where we found the three girls drying off.  
"Uh-oh," one said, looking at the other two, "Looks like trainers."  
"Yep," the other two agreed.  
"Yeah, we're trainers," I said, stepping forward, "And we're here to challenge the gym leaders for the Cascade badge! Umm, do you know where they are?"  
"Right here, silly!" the one with red hair said.  
Robbie was astonished, "YOU guys are the gym leaders?"  
"Of course we are! We're the Sensational Sisters!" another with blue hair said.   
"Ok, fine!" I said, "Then we challenge you three!"  
"Suit yourself," the red-haired one said, "Which one of you will go first?"  
"Robbie here will," I said, volunteering him. I then whispered to him, "Don't worry, Robbie. Just give it all you got!"  
"Easy for you to say," he spoke softly, "You're not going first."  
"Good luck!" I said, pushing him forward.   
After their places were set on the pool, I took a seat in the bleachers. I was close enough to observe the fight, so I could find out what pokémon the sisters were using.   
Robbie looked determined as he called out his Sandslash, "Go, Sandslash!"  
The yellow-haired sister would go with her pokémon next, "Go, Seaking!"  
I pointed my pokédex at the spotted fish, hoping it would be able to get a clear image of it:  
Searching, please hold...it said as I waited. Soon enough, it found it:  
SEAKING: A fish pokémon. Seaking, the evolution of GOLDEEN, are known for their horns, that may cause sever damage to their enemies  
I didn't know if Robbie could win this one after that message.  
"Ok, Seaking! Give that Sandslash a tackle!"  
"Seaking, king" it said is it dived deep down into the water and then jumped quickly out of the water. It hit the unsuspecting Sandslash (who happened to be cleaning itself) hard, and the large rodent fell hard onto it's platform.   
"Saaaannddslash!" it screamed in pain, after having the wind knocked out of it. It charged towards the water and then curled into a spiny ball. While going at its top speed, it whirled across the water, causing a wave to form behind it. In that wave, I could spot the confused Seaking at the top.   
"Seakiiing!" it cried in a scared voice from about twenty feet above the water.   
I no time, Sandslash reached the edge of the pool and hopped out. From there, it sprinted out of the way of the gigantic wave, which slammed onto the hard pavement. Seaking slammed down with it, and when the water cleared, I could see the badly injured fish pokémon flopping up and down.  
"Seaking!" the girl cried as she jumped into the water and began swimming to it. But at the same time, the Sandslash was rearing up for another attack.  
"Robbie," I screamed as I noticed it, "Your Sandslash! Don't let it attack the Seaking again!"  
Immediately he noticed, and he yelled, "Sandslash, stop!" But it didn't obey. It continued to run right at the beached Seaking.   
Robbie was almost in tears as he cried out, "Stop, Sandslash!" But yet again, the Sandslash didn't listen. And then, Robbie said something that hit the mark, "If Grandpa was here, you wouldn't do this!"  
The Sandslash stopped in its tracks and looked at Robbie. I noticed a sudden change in emotion as he sat down compliantly and allowed itself to be sucked into the small pokéball.  
All of us were stunned at the current events. The blonde sister was hugging her Seaking as she returned it to its pokéball. She then turned to Robbie and said, "Looks like you won. Here's the Cascade Badge." She tossed it into the air, and it glimmered as it flew to Robbie and then landed in his waiting palms!  
"Yes!" he cried as he jumped into the air. He then attached the blue badge to his jacket.  
The Sensational Sister he had beaten congratulated him as she said, "That's one strong pokémon you have there. Maybe my Seaking will become that strong someday."  
"Thanks," Robbie said, as his cheeks grew red.  
The blue-haired sister then broke into their conversation, "Ok," she started, "that's enough of that. Who's challenging me?"  
I realized it was my turn for action, so I stepped forward, "I am!"  
We took our places on the platforms above the water as she started, "We'll each use two pokémon! If it's tied, we'll go into a third, final match!"  
"Ok!" I said as I pulled out my first pokéball, "Go, Butterfree!" The blue pokémon emerged from the pokéball.   
My opponent then replied, "Go, Kingler!"  
I pointed my pokédex at the large crab pokémon:   
KINGLER: A crab pokémon. The evolution of KRABBY, Kingler are known for their large pincer. With these pincers, they perform their special attack, GUILLOTINE   
"Ok, Butterfree!" I yelled, "Use your stun spore attack!"  
The butterfly proceeded to shake yellow powder on the crab, but the blue-haired girl had already yelled out a counter-attack, "Dodge the powder Kingler!" As the crab dodged the falling powder, she yelled out the next attack, "Now tackle it!" The Kingler jumped high into the air, and just when it was level with the Butterfree, it slammed it down towards the water. They fell, with my Butterfree on the bottom. Soon enough, the Kingler slammed it into the water, soaking Butterfree's wings. I could see my pokémon struggling to fly, but it just couldn't do it.  
"Butterfree, return!" I yelled as the red beam shot from the pokéball and surrounded Butterfree.  
"Good job, Kingler!" the girl said, "Return! Go, Lapras!"  
I again pointed my pokédex at her pokémon:  
LAPRAS: These rare pokémon are over-hunted, causing them to be very valuable possessions. Lapras are often used as ferries to transport people across the water  
"Ok," I said as I pulled out another pokéball, "Go, Poliwag!"  
The girl hid a giggle as she commanded the next move, "Lapras, give it an ice beam!"  
The Lapras' horn began to glow as bright colors began to surround it. And then, out of nowhere, a bright, fluorescent blue beam shot out and knocked my Poliwag back about ten feet. It was all over in a matter of seconds.  
"Poliwag!" I screamed as I ran over to it.  
It said with a groan, "Polliiwaggg."  
"Return, Poliwag," I said with a small sigh, as I then stood up and looked at the girl, "Look's like you win."  
"It's ok," she said as she saw my dreary face, "You can always come and challenge me again!"  
"And lose again?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm.  
"It's not your pokémon that caused you to lose. It's your choice of pokémon that made you lose," said the red-haired sister, now chiming into our conversation, "Against Kingler, you should have used a grass pokémon, because grass is strong against water. And against that Lapras, you should have used a fire pokémon. Fire pokémon are strong against ice."  
She was right. I had screwed up and it might cause me the Cascade Badge. It then occurred to me. Stork always told me what pokémon I should use. Without him, I would never win a battle. From now on, I'll have to figure these things out myself.  
Without even saying goodbye, I walked out with a depressed face. Robbie soon caught up, and tried to comfort me, "Don't worry, Austin! That Lapras was strong, and you know it. Just come back later and challenge her again! If you use the right pokémon, you're sure to win!"  
This helped a little, but I was still tired of all of it. I again went to the pokécenter and put Poliwag and Butterfree in it. While they were healing, Robbie and I walked to his house, where I would meet his parents.  
He opened the door as he said, "Come on in. My parents should be home." He then called out into the house, "Mom? Dad? Are you guys here?"  
"Is that you, Robert?" a voice replied from the other room.  
He replied, "Yeah, it's me mom." A woman that looked a little younger than my mother came running out and hugged Robbie closely.   
"I'm so glad you're back!" she said, followed by, "Ouch!"  
"What is it, mom?" Robbie asked as she stepped away from him.  
"Something on your jacket pricked-" she stopped as she looked at the small, blue badge on Robbie's jacket, "Oh no. You didn't"   
"But mom," Robbie said in a slightly whining voice, "You know this is what I want to do."  
I realized that this was a family matter, so I excused myself and stepped outside. I then sat on a bench that was across the street from their house. After waiting for a little while, I got bored, so I pulled out my pokédex to see if there was anything else it could do. I found a green button that I had never pressed before, so I did. On the screen, a chart appeared. My pokédex said:  
BATTLE CHART: This chart is used to aid trainers in their pokémon battles. It explains the fifteen different types of pokémon, and their strengths and weaknesses  
"What?" I asked myself in astonishment, "I didn't know this thing was here!"  
After my new "revelation," my spirits rose as I realized what this meant. I wouldn't need Stork to explain any of this now that I actually had a chart. Soon, Robbie stepped out of the house with his mother and father. He had on a bigger knapsack and a huge smile on his face. I knew immediately that he had won the battle with his parents, and that he would be allowed his pokémon training license.  
As he walked towards me, he waved goodbye to his parents. His father was looking very proud of his son, and his mother was in tears.   
"Way to go!" I said to Robbie as we were away from his house, "Now you need to get your license and pokéballs."  
"I know," he replied, "I need to stop by at the Cerulean lab to pick up the stuff. And then I'm going to head south towards Pewter so I can get the Boulder Badge.   
"So then I guess this is goodbye," I said, not depressed, but proud of Robbie.  
"Yep," he said to me, "But maybe we'll see each other later on or something."   
"Maybe," I then replied as my mind began to wander. I started to think about how Stork and I had had the same goodbye, the same "Maybe we'll see each other later." Robbie then broke in.  
"Ok, later Austin," he said as he began walking through downtown.  
"Later Robbie," I said as I then turned away and headed back to the pokécenter.   
After picking up Poliwag and Butterfree, I found a hotel near the gym, where I out all of my stuff. After an early dinner, I gathered my pokémon and pokédex and walked out the door. After coming onto the street, I turned right and headed straight to the gym. It was dark now, and there were many lights from the city brightening the sky.   
When I walked into the gym, the Sensational Sisters were putting on another show. Except this time, the roof of the gym was open, allowing the moonlight to pour in. There were also lights inside the pool, making the turquoise water glow brighter. It was very majestic looking at the pool, and I, along with the crowd, was entranced.  
I again took a seat to wait for the show to be over, and when it was, I approached the sisters again. They knew I was here to challenge them again, and the blue-haired one stepped forward, "Do you want to challenge me again?" she asked.  
"Yes," I replied, "and this time I'm ready!"  
"Ok," she said, "then let's go!"  
After taking our places on the platforms, a lot of the people leaving noticed that there was going to be a pokémon fight, so they took their seats yet again.  
"Oh, great," I muttered to myself, "Hundreds of people watching me battle. There's no pressure there."  
Once the crowd had taken their seats, an announcer spoke, "Pokémon battle. The fight is between gym leader Aurora, and trainer Austin Ketchum. Each will use two pokémon and a third if necessary. Trainers, start your battle!"  
Aurora yelled, "Go, Seadra!"  
I pointed my pokédex at this one:  
SEADRA: A water pokémon. This pokémon-  
I shut the pokédex and said quietly, "That's all I needed to know. Go, Oddish!"  
My blue pokémon came out with a battle face on, and he looked determined to win.   
"Oddish!"   
Aurora could tell that I had been studying, but nevertheless, she commanded her pokémon it's move, "Seadra, give it a tackle!"  
I quickly yelled to my Oddish, "Dodge!" It dodged quickly, and the Seadra had not time to respond. It hit the platform hard and I yelled the next move, "Sleep powder, Oddish!" Oddish's leaves began to shake as a red powder surrounded the Seadra. The Seadra's eyes closed slowly, and soon, it was asleep.  
"Darn!" Aurora said as she called her seahorse back in, "Look's like you know what you're doing. Go, Seel!"  
I knew that this pokémon was ice, but I didn't want to tire my Growlithe down in case we had a third match and she sent out her Lapras. I yelled, "Go, Togepi!"   
"Breee!" it said as its image formed from the red light.  
"Seel, give it your bite attack!"  
The Seel hopped into the water and began swimming towards Togepi. It hopped out of the water before I could yell a command, and bit Togepi.  
"BREEE!" Togepi screamed out.   
"Togepi!" I yelled, "Try to get out of it's jaw!" Togepi struggled hard, and got out, but was very dazed. "Good job, Togepi! Use your pound attack!"  
Togepi shook its head to get rid of the dizziness and the jumped high into the air. Before the Seel could respond, it was hit hard on the head.  
"Seel, seel," is cried as it was flattened to the platform.  
"Seel!" Aurora yelled, "Are you ok?"  
"Seel!" it responded, shaking its head.  
Aurora then told it its next move, "Body slam!"  
The Seel again dove into the water, leaving my Togepi alone on the platform. And then, out of nowhere, the Seel jumped out of the water and was high above Togepi. The crowd "Ohhed" and "Ahhhhed" at the Seel. Then, the Seel started falling, belly first, and it slammed down on Togepi!  
Togepi screamed out, "Breee!"  
I knew that I had lost that match, so I yelled, "Togepi return!"  
We had come down to a last match. Whoever won this match won the battle. I had to pick my pokémon wisely on this one.  
Aurora pulled out one last pokéball after she had returned Seel, "Go, Lapras! Let's beat him again!" With those words, I realized that she was becoming a lot more competitive than she was in our last battle.   
"Ok!" I yelled, "Go, Growlithe!"  
The crowd was thrilled over this match, and all of them were at the edge of their seats. My Growlithe looked extremely determined to win this one.  
"Grrrr," he growled under his breath.  
"Ok," I said, "Use your flamethrower attack!"  
A huge burst of fire emerged from his mouth and surrounded the Lapras. When the fire ceased, Lapras was burned, but was still in the battle.   
"Lapras, give it you ice beam attack!" Aurora yelled.  
Again, the horn on the Lapras began to glow, until the deadly blue beam shot out towards Growlithe.  
"Growlithe!" I yelled, "Dodge the beam!" He tried to get out of the way, but he didn't make it all of the way. The beam singed his leg, causing him to yip loudly.   
"Are you ok, Growlithe?" I asked him. He nodded his head, despite the excruciating pain in his leg. "Ok, then," I said, "Use your fire blast!"  
Growlithe began to growl in a deep, low voice, and small flames started to emerge from his mouth. As his growl grew louder, the flames grew bigger, until finally a ear-splitting roar shook the stadium and flames surrounded the entire pool. When they stopped, a badly burnt and fainted Lapras was left floating on the water.  
"Lapras!" Aurora cried, "Return!" The beam sucked the blue creature in, and I was gleaming with pride.   
"Way to go, Growlithe!" I said as I pet him on the head, "We did it!"  
I then noticed his freezer-burnt leg, and I pulled out a freezing heal antidote. As I poured it over his leg, he tried to hold back his cries.  
"It's ok," I said, trying to comfort him, "It will help it heal."  
After I had returned Growlithe to his pokéball until I could get him to the pokécenter, I stood up and faced Aurora.   
"Good job," she said, "You have won the Cascade Badge."  
The crowd began to cheer as I was handed the badge, and I was the proudest that I had ever been in my life. I attached the badge inside my wallet, where I also kept my license. After saying goodbye to the three sisters, I walked over to the pokémon center and placed my pokémon inside before returning to the hotel for the night.   
This night, I didn't dream about Stork. I dreamt about victory.  
Chapter 10  
"That'll be one hundred and fifty bucks."  
"What, are you crazy?" I screamed at the gruff motel manager. I was checking out of the motel I had been staying at in Cerulean.   
"Seventy-five dollars a night; two nights; one hundred and fifty dollars!"  
"Gosh darn prices these days. Stupid motel managers with their outrageous prices," I continued to mutter as I fished in my wallet for my trainer's credit card. It was an account in which all of the money I spend on my journey is sent as a bill to my parents every month. Boy, they were going to be furious when they see the upcoming bill.   
After paying the scandalous bill, I went to a local diner to eat breakfast.  
Togepi sat on the table laughing hysterically as I tickled him playfully. Soon, a waitress approached our booth.  
"What'll it be, honey?" asked a middle-aged woman working at the diner.   
"Um...I'll have some flapjacks and some bacon. Oh and some eggs-" I was broken off by a stern look from Togepi. "Actually," I said, trying to comfort my pokemon, "forget the eggs. I think my pokemon here objects to them."   
"Whatever," said the waitress as she began to walk off. But before she was gone, I felt a slight tugging on my shirt.   
"Breeeee!" Togepi whined with a desperate look.   
"Oh, waitress!" I motioned as she turned around, "Do you know if you could give my pokemon, er...me, some lettuce?"  
"This early in the morning?" she seemed surprised.  
"Uh, yeah," I said nervously. I didn't want her to get the impression that she was serving a pokemon.   
"Whatever you say," she sighed as she headed into the kitchen.   
After a short period of time, she returned with my breakfast and Togepi's lettuce. He immediately grabbed it and waddled over to the other side of the table, protecting it in case we felt the need to take it from him. As he munched happily on the green vegetable, the waitress sighed again and asked herself quietly as she walked away, "Can my life get any stranger?"  
I laughed at her remark as I began to chomp down my pancakes. Togepi was done with his lettuce so he came over to my plate, snatched a small pancake, and then quickly waddled back to his previous spot on the other side of the table. I laughed at him, and continued to eat. I had to get some energy for the long hike I would have to take today.  
***  
I sat on a bench near the outskirts of Cerulean in a park, reading a map. Togepi was sleeping in his pokeball, and all of my other pokemon were resting up also.   
As I read the map, I quietly murmured to myself. "Let's see. If I go south towards Saffron, then I might cross that small town right there and..."   
I continued talking to myself until I knew where I was going. Because Saffron City was too far for me to hike in one day, I would have to stop and rest about halfway there. I found a town on the map called "Tourneytown." I took out my traveling guide and looked up the town in the index. When I found it, the description read:  
"TOURNEYTOWN: A medium-sized town with a population of 10,000, Tourneytown is known for its annual Pokemon tournament, held on the first weekend of June every year. Note to trainers: This is not an official Pokemon League tournament, therefore it does not award any badges."  
I was so excited when I read this, and I knew that I could make it by then. The tournament was a week form now, leaving me plenty of time to practice when I arrive there. I decided I should start out soon, because I wanted to make it to Tourneytown before daybreak. I again looked at the map, and saw a green trail leading straight to the city. The key indicated that the green line means it's a scenic route, and I knew that was a perfect place to catch pokemon in the wild. I gathered up my things, and headed to the trailhead, which was only a few blocks away.   
Upon arriving on the trail, I read a sheet of paper that was stapled to a tree. It read:  
"WARNING: To all pokemon trainers: there have been reports of pokemon theft in this area, especially on this trail. Please be cautious on your journey through the woods. -Officer Jenny, Cerulean City Police Department"  
"Oh, great," I muttered to myself, "Something to worry about."  
I started on the trail and, despite the fact that there were pokemon poachers in the area, I enjoyed the warm summer air. Soon, I heard a whining coming from one of the pokeballs on my belt. I took out the pokeball, and found out that it was Growlithe, wanting to get out. I released him and he immediately took off in a sprint, leaving me in the dust. I chased after him, but I couldn't find him anywhere.   
After searching for about an hour, I realized that I was far up on the trail, and I was in some dense woods. I continued to search, and soon found my puppy in a creek nearby, splashing around in the water happily.   
"Oh man, Growlithe! Now you'll smell bad with all of that water on you!" I said in an annoyed voice, and then finally with a sigh, "C'mon, let's go."  
He obeyed when he saw the expression on my face and continued to follow me with his tail between his legs.  
I noticed his puppy dog eyes glaring up at me, with his tail still between his legs, "Growlithe, don't give me that look!"  
He continued to give me the look until I began petting him and laughing. He then continued by my side, always glaring at interesting objects that caught his attention, and always on alert. Soon, he began sniffing trees and shrubs, and I realized that he wanted to "do his thing". When he found a suitable tree, he began to mark his territory as I turned around and waited for him to finish. After a few seconds, I heard a high-pitched giggling, and looked around for the source of the sound. I didn't find any kids, and I knew something was up.   
When I turned to see if Growlithe had done his business, I found him growling at the tree. "What's the matter boy?" I asked jokingly, "Did that tree insult you?"  
He turned to me and gave me the "Evil Eye", glanced back at the tree, and then started walking up the path ahead of me. Not long after, I heard a sneeze coming from behind us, I quickly turned around to see who was following us. All I saw were trees, so I turned back and began walking again. Before long, I heard a rustling behind us again, so I turned around to find no one, just like before. But what really caught my eye was a tree. The tree looked just like the one that Growlithe had urinated on, so I approached it and began to look for any suspicious signs. Suddenly, the tree shook as it sneezed! I jumped back quickly, and was suddenly very scared.   
"Umm, Growlithe, did you just see that tree sneeze?" I asked nervously.  
He replied by growling as he went up to sniff the tree. Once he had taken a quick whiff, his growling grew stronger, and I knew that this tree was no ordinary tree.   
Without warning, the tree began to glow a bright white, and it's silhouette changed and grew smaller. Before long, it was a Rattata! "Ok," I said to myself, "Now this is not right."  
The tree/Rattata growled, "Rattata! Rat! Grr..."   
"OK, so you want to fight?" I said, preparing a command, "Go Growlithe!"  
My dog jumped in front of me, ready for battle, "GrowlITHE!"   
"Give it a flame thrower, Growlithe!" I yelled, now completely prepared for battle.  
It opened its mouth and bright, glowing flames emerged and surrounded the unsuspecting enemy, leaving it badly burned.   
The creature then began to glow again, and it formed the shape of a Pidgey.   
"What kind of pokemon ARE you?" I then said, completely confused.  
"Pidgey!" It squawked as it flew high into the air, and then dive-bombed Growlithe, rendering him unconscious.  
I began muttering profanities as I reached for another pokeball.   
"Whatever you are," I said, still searching for a pokemon, "I'm gonna catch you."  
I finally picked a pokemon, and released it, "Poliwag, go!"  
The tadpole pokemon eagerly jumped out of its pokeball, waiting for my command. Our morphing opponent saw this opportunity to attack, and it did, flying dangerously close to us and blowing up sand. I couldn't see anything, and when the dust finally cleared, the pokemon was gone.   
"That was weird," I said to myself, returning Poliwag to its pokeball and then releasing Growlithe for healing.   
After giving Growlithe some medicine, I continued down the path, enjoying the beautiful weather and the lush woods. But I still couldn't get my mind off of the mysterious pokemon that was constantly morphing in front of us. It was so strange, and I yearned to own it so much. But I had lost it, and I had to deal with it.   
After walking for another hour, the constant whining of my pokemon inside of their pokeballs signaled lunchtime, so I released them all in a nearby meadow, and then set up a small picnic. They all greatly enjoyed their temporary freedom, and I watched them run around, chasing each other and playing their own little game of "tag". I made myself a sandwich, and soon looked up to see Togepi waddling towards me, eagerly awaiting his lunch. I pulled out a couple pieces of lettuce and gave them to him, allowing him to snatch it from my hands and run off.   
I soon fed all of my pokemon their meals, and then settled down for my own lunch. As I ate, I remembered how Stork and I had watched our pokemon play together on the beach, and I slowly fought back a tear that was forming in my eye. I quickly rubbed my eye, and stood up to start cleaning up the picnic area.   
After packing up the area, I walked over to my pokemon to find them all cuddled together, sleeping. They were so peaceful and calm as I stared at them, and yet, they were so dangerous when they battled. I quickly returned them to their pokeballs and attached them back to my belt. I would travel on a little further before breaking camp for the night.   
But before I was completely out of the field, I felt a strange chill go down my back and I felt like I was being watched. I slowly turned around, trying to stay calm. And what I saw both surprised me and made me furious.  
"You!" I screamed to the tree. The tree was the exact same one that had morphed into the other pokemon to attack me.   
Like before, it began to glow, but this time as it shrunk, a silhouette of Growlithe appeared.   
"Growlithe!" it barked.  
"Huh?" I asked myself in amazement. But I didn't hesitate to pull out a pokeball. "Go, Butterfree!"  
My blue Butterfree appeared with a loud, "Breeee!"   
"Butterfree, tackle it!" I yelled. My pokemon obeyed, quickly flapping towards the strange pokemon. But right when it was about to attack, the Growlithe jumped out of the way and shot a burst of flames. They engulfed Butterfree, and when they ceased, my pokemon had a very angry glare in its eyes. Butterfree soared high into the air, and then released a glowing powder, which slowly floated down to the Growlithe. The small dog couldn't dodge the powder, and it slowly fell into a deep sleep. But while it was falling asleep, something really strange happened. It began to glow again, but this time formed the shape of a small blob, and when it finally finished morphing, it was a shiny, pink pokemon. I pulled out my pokedex and pointed it at the sleeping pokemon:  
DITTO: A transforming pokemon. Ditto are able to morph into any pokemon or object that they have seen, usually deceiving trainers by morphing into common pokemon, like Pidgies and Rattatas. They only learn one move, TRANSFORM.  
"So, that's it," I said to myself, shutting the pokedex, and then realizing that I was still in battle I yelled to my pokemon, "Butterfree, give it a tackle!"  
My pokemon obeyed, and this time the Ditto couldn't dodge. It was hit hard, and it flew back a few feet, but it didn't wake up.  
"Ok," I yelled, pulling out a pokeball and enlarging it, "Pokeball, go!"  
The red and white ball flew through the air, glimmering in the sunlight. Finally, it hit it's target, and the red beam shot out, swallowing the Ditto with its fluorescent glow. The pokeball shook a few times, but I released a huge sigh when I heard the familiar "Ding!" and saw the red indicator turn off.   
"Yes!" I yelled, holding out Butterfree's pokeball, "Butterfree, great job! Return!" I then walked over to my new pokemon's pokeball, and picked it up, decreasing its size. I considered letting Ditto out to heal it, but I decided against it, hearing the faint snoring coming from the pokeball. Sleep was probably the best thing for him right now.  
After attaching the pokeball to my belt, I continued on my way through the woods, eager to get to Tourneytown. I soon found the trail again, and started South towards the small town. As I walked, I thought I heard rustling, but I assumed it was just my imagination, and it probably wasn't that important to check out. But my suspicion grew more when I thought I heard whispering behind me. I increased my stride, and soon broke into a run down the path. My fear had taken the most of me and my adrenaline was rushing as I flew past the trees. It seemed like the whole world had gone quiet except for my rushing footsteps. The whispering grew louder, and it soon was in front of me. I continued running, running away from something or someone that I didn't know. And then, I tripped. I hit a tree root and slammed into the ground, opening a cut in my forehead as I hit the ground. I was dizzy, and confused. As I lay there, I heard faint voices above me, and I rolled over on my back to look upward at the source of the talking. Suddenly, a shotgun butt came flying down at me, and the last thing I saw before I fell unconscious was the blurry, red "R".  
Chapter 11  
My vision slowly returned and the world became clearer as I recovered from unconsciousness. When I was finally awake, I noticed I was inside in a small jail cell, if you would call it that. There was only a hard bed to my left, and a mirror to my right, which was dirty with dust. I looked outside of the bars, and I noticed I was in some kind of warehouse, and there was some kind of assembly line formed around a moving conveyor belt. I couldn't see what was on the belt, but I knew it couldn't be good. What really caught my attention were the uniforms of the people. They all donned black uniforms with the trademark red "R" on the chest. I didn't need to guess to know who this was.  
I walked over to the mirror and rubbed my palm across it, clearing the dust. And then I saw my face: tired, worn, and beaten. I still had a cut across my forehead from my fall in the woods, but it had been cleaned up. I also had a large bump around my eye, which in turn was brown and bruised from the shotgun butt that had hit it.   
I groaned as I dragged my feet over to the bed and sat down. And then I remembered my pokemon. I looked to my right side, and all I saw were empty pokeball clips. My pokedex was also missing, along with my knapsack.   
I laid down on the bed and stared at the cracked ceiling of my jail cell, still dazed from my unconsciousness. I drifted off into a disturbing sleep, but was awoken some time later by an unfamiliar voice. "Wake up. Wake up!"   
I woke up and my vision cleared to reveal a girl. She was beautiful, and my eyes widened as I glared at her face.   
"It's about time," she said, holding something out to me as I slowly rised, "You've been sleeping for a couple hours now. I brought you some dinner." I took the plate and examined the food. After looking at it, I quickly set it down away from me in disgust.  
"You expect me to eat that?" I yelled at her.  
"I'm sorry," she replied passionately, "That's what they gave me to give you."  
"So first you guys knock me out, then you lock me up in this tiny jail cell, take my pokemon, my pokedex, and my belongings, and then feed me this stuff?" I asked, my anger rising inside of me.  
She stood up quickly after that remark and replied, "Listen, I'm trying to be nice to you, but you just get more angry at me. I'm not in charge here, ok? I'm just a 'Junior Rocket', which means that I'm treated like dirt. I have to do what they say, or I get in trouble. So I'm trying my best to make it easier for both of us, but you're not helping!" With that, she stormed out of the cell furiously.   
I looked at my food, and realized how hungry I was. I grabbed the plate and fork, and began eating it, despite the horrible taste. After eating I walked up to the cell bars and looked outside, watching the Rocket members frantically work in the assembly line. I kept looking until I got a clear look at what they were doing. Finally, I got a quick glance at the conveyor belt when one of the members stepped back. I saw pokeballs piled on top of each other, and the men and women were putting them into separate bins across from them. I assumed that they were sorting them by type, and I went back to my bed, thinking about their whole plan. They are stopping trainers on the scenic path, stealing their pokemon, and then locking the trainers up. The stolen pokemon are then sorted into their appropriate types, but there was still the question as to where the pokemon went after this. I had heard of Giovanni, the creator of Team Rocket, in a news report, and they told of his power. I then guessed that the pokemon were sent to him for his choosing. But that still didn't explain what happened to the unwanted pokemon. I left it at that as I lay down and fell asleep again.   
It was morning when I awoke, but the conveyor belt hadn't started yet. The people were probably eating breakfast now. I went over to the mirror and rubbed my face, hoping to wake myself up. I then walked back to my bed and sat down, staring at the empty warehouse.   
Soon, voices formed in the background, and they grew louder as the Rockets returned from the cafeteria. I could here laughing and talking while they walked in and filled the empty warehouse. And then I noticed the girl that had delivered my dinner to me last night. She was sulking, and had a very depressed look on her face. It was odd seeing her like that, and I decided that I needed to find out what was wrong when she delivered me my meal again.   
Soon enough, she entered my cell and gave me my breakfast. She still had the sullen look on her face, so I took the opportunity to ask her why, "Hey, what's wrong?"  
She looked up at me and didn't reply for awhile, until she finally spoke up, "I hate this place. I hate the people here, I hate being here, and I hate what we're doing here. This place is like a prison; they hold you here and you can't do anything but work."  
I was surprised by that remark, and was speechless. She continued when she realized I wasn't going to reply to her comment, "I can't believe what goes on in here. You have no idea, but I do. I hate taking pokemon away from their owners, I hate it. And the worst part is, all of the weak pokemon are thrown back into the woods, without food or shelter," she paused for a few seconds, "or their master. Do you know how hard it is for a trained pokemon to coexist with wild ones? It's almost impossible for it to survive. And they die because of us, because of me."  
Again, I was completely speechless, and she just stared down at the ground. I followed her eyes, and glared down at the same piece of worn cement that she was. After a short while, she said quietly, with cracks in her voice, "I need to get out. I have to get out of this place. I have to get away from everyone and everything here."  
This time, I replied, but still hastily, "I can help you, if you help me."  
She glanced up at my face, shocked by my proposition, "How?"  
"Listen," I started, "I want out of here too, but I can't do it without your help. I want my pokemon and my belongings back, along with my freedom from this place, and I'll help get you out of here."  
As she listened, she remained still, and finally leaned back when I finished. "One more thing," she said slowly, "There's one more thing I want."  
***  
It was the next day, near lunchtime. I had found out the young Rocket's name: Ariana. I had also found out that she was a month younger than I was, although she looked younger than that. We had a plan, a complicated one, but it was still a plan.   
She served me my lunch, cautious not to arouse any suspicion of our plan. Once the lunch was over for the other Rockets, she would retrieve my belt with my pokeballs attached. But that was only if all went well, which doesn't seem to be happening much lately. She had mentioned today being an important day, but I guess I just wasn't listening. Only time could tell what would happen.  
I sat in my small jail cell reading a book, but also listening in on some of the conversations that were formulating. Everyone seemed to be extremely talkative, although I still couldn't find out why. But, I soon found out, and it was not good.  
He stepped into the warehouse with swift steps, always remaining cautious and alert. I couldn't see his face, for it seemed to remain hidden in the dark shadows that he stepped through. Next to him, I saw the large cat, purring softly, while also keeping a strong watch on its surroundings. I knew who he was, and I was terribly frightened. But what surprised me even more was who was behind him. I recognized them immediately. They were Brian and Sarah, or really Jake and Erin. I remembered that encounter with them before on Mt. Moon and slowly stepped back to hide in the shadows, hoping they wouldn't see me. They must of escaped from the police's custody somehow, and now they were back, assisting their boss in his evil ways.   
I saw the leader of the group walk into the warehouse, taking in every detail about it, and making sire everyone was working. As he was walking, I noticed he was making his way towards me, but slowly at that. Finally, he made it to me, and I stood up, facing his tall body.  
Erin and Jake didn't see me yet, but I knew they would eventually. Their boss turned to one of the closest Rockets working at the factory, "What is this child in here for?"  
"Um, uh...see, si-ii-rr...um...he's..uh.." The Rocket was too scared to respond, and Giovanni's anger rose.  
"What is this child here for?" he boomed, listening to his loud voice echo through the factory.  
A large man stepped up, "We found him wandering outside. Since we thought he had seen our factory, we knocked him out and brought him here, uh...sir."  
"Thank you," Giovanni said, turning back to me, "So, you were wandering around outside, huh? I don't like when people wander around my operations, especially pokemon trainers." He must have noticed one of my pokemon badges from inside my jacket. He continued, "So, do you have any strong pokemon?"  
I continued my firm expression, not saying anything. Finally, Jake stepped up to the bars, "The boss asked you a-" He stopped, finally discovering who I really was. "You!" he yelled angrily, "You're the little prick that put us away, aren't you?"  
His boss was aroused by his follower's remark and asked me, "So, you're the trainer that put two of my best followers in the custody of the police? Interesting." He stopped, turning back to Jake and Erin, "Okay. Kill him. But make it quick, we have a very busy schedule ahead of us." I stepped back in my cell, watching Jake pull out a gun. There was nowhere I could run to. I was trapped. I shot a glance towards Ariana, but she wasn't there. I saw her quickly jolt to a closet on the other end of the warehouse, where the stolen pokemon were kept. Jake pointed the gun at me and said in a dark tone, "Revenge is sweet." He pulled the trigger and...*click* Jake looked down at the gun, and realized that the clip was empty. He began to put in a new one, all while swearing loudly. It would just give more time for Ariana to get my belt.  
Jake again pointed his gun at me, but was stopped by Ariana's loud remark, "Stop!"   
He jolted around and looked at her, but it was Erin who responded with a sneer, "What is it?"  
Ariana walked up to my cell and stood in front of me, facing them, "You can't just kill someone like that. It's not right, and it's against human nature."  
"What?" Erin asked, stepping closer to her, "How can you judge human nature? You're not fit to be a member of Team Rocket!"  
Ariana was also making good use of this time, though. Behind her back, she slipped me my belt, with all six pokeballs attached, through the bars. I grabbed the belt and also kept it hidden from the view of the staring eyes, stepping back into the shadows.  
Ariana was hurt from Erin's last remark, but still waited for me to do my part of the plan that had developed. I waited for the right moment, and soon saw Giovanni again approaching my cell. "Better now than never," I said quietly to myself, pulling out a pokeball. "Togepi, go!" I screamed, allowing all eyes to turn to me. I quickly picked the pokemon up and grabbed Ariana's hand through the cell bars. One I had a firm grip on both I said to Togepi, "Teleport, now!"   
He squinted his eyes and began to swing his hands around in small circles. They quickly began to glow a faint blue and, in a matter of seconds, all three of us were flashed outside. Outside into the warm, summer airs. Outside where the birds were chirping and the flowers were glowing in the sunlight. Outside from the musty cell in the old warehouse. Outside to freedom.   
"It worked!" Ariana squealed with happiness, hugging me. I felt weird though; one minute I was at Ariana's throat, the next she was hugging me after freeing me. I couldn't trust her just yet, but she did save my life, and I had to credit that to her.  
"Okay," I said quickly, "We have to get out of this area, away from the search parties."  
"Yes," she agreed as we began to run up the same path that I had been knocked unconscious on.   
After running for several minutes, we both grew tired and sat down to rest. As she pulled out a water canteen from her knapsack, I listened to some noise coming a little further up the trail. "C'mon," I said, helping her up, "I think there's a highway up there or something. Let's try to hitch a ride up there."  
We soon found the highway about 50 yards up the trail a little, and found a ride with a man who owned a pick-up truck. Ariana and I sat in the back, laying down to stare upwards at the passing clouds. I still owed her my part of the deal. I had a new companion.  
  



	2. Chapter 1

Fan Fiction: POKEMON: A New Journey   
SUMMARY: What happens when you're given only an egg as your starting pokemon? Find out in this exciting tale of a young teen that learns to love his pokemon as his journey progresses!  
Prologue  
As the professor hiked up the steep slope of the mountains surrounding Pallet, he could smell the crisp air and feel the warmth surround his body. The path was not hiked on much, so it was very crude and rough. But the professor didn't care. It was finally a break from all of the research and busy work it required to be a pokemon scientist.   
He could here the birds chirping in the distance, and a smile came across his face as he listened to their peaceful music. He continued on his hike though, eager to discover new pokemon.   
When he reached a small, flat area, he sat down to rest on a rock, saying quietly to himself, "I guess I'm just not the young man I used to be." He took out his canteen and slowly began to drink the water at intervals, stopping to stare at the captivating panorama. As he crouched down to pick up his knapsack, he noticed a small alcove under the boulder he was sitting on. Already suspicious, he kneeled down and looked inside. He saw something that made his heart skip a beat. He reached in and pulled the oval-shaped object out of the abandoned nest.   
"Finally," he said softly, cautiously tucking it under his jacket.  
Chapter 1  
It's hard having someone in your family leave on a journey and then remain unsuccessful. Ash is my cousin, although we were never that close. He left on his journey a few months ago, but it hasn't gone so well. My aunt doesn't care much, she just continues to hope that Ash will become a great trainer, just like his father once was. But it's hard for her to see him do so badly in his training. He tells us that he has some companions to come along with him, although I can't picture him with friends. He was always a loner as a young child, never really social. My mother always encouraged me to go play with him, but I myself found him a bit odd.   
But he was gone, and it was my time to shine. Although he is younger than me by a couple years, I never started my journey. I guess I just didn't feel ready to go. But I was ready now, and I was determined to get a good start, unlike him.   
I was downstairs on the morning of my departure from Pallet, packing my bag. My younger brother was playing a video game at the kitchen breakfast table, and my mother was cooking on the stove. My dad walked down the stairs, adjusting his lab coat. He was a scientist at the local pokemon lab, and he had provided me with the essential starting items, such as pokeballs, potions, and such. He also gave me his own, improved pokedex that had more features than the one Professor Oak invented last year. Professor Oak was like a father to my dad, always supervising him and assisting him in his experiments. My dad told me that the professor would be retiring soon, in which he would take his place. But for right now, Professor Oak was the authority on pokemon in Pallet, and it was from him that I would have to get a starting pokemon.   
After checking and double-checking my bag, I zipped it up and placed it in the corner. My mom finished making breakfast, and served it to the rest of the family. While eating, my dad reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a white envelope. He slid it across the table and waited for me to open it until he spoke, "There's 250 dollars in there, along with your trainer's credit card."  
I took the envelope and carefully put it into my bag. "Thanks," I said, starting to eat my breakfast.   
***  
I left the house a few minutes later, eager to get to the lab. When I got there, there were I few other kids there, most younger than me. I leaned against a tree in the shade until the professor opened the gates and let us in.   
It was a steep climb up the steps to the lab on the hill, and I continued to think about what pokemon I would pick. I knew he had the three starters required by the Pokemon League to give away, but there were more than three people here. When we entered the lab, we all formed a circle around a display case with pokeballs inside. Each pokeball had a symbol representing it's proper type. Because I was the older and more mature person there, I allowed the younger kids to step up and receive their pokemon. There were three Charmanders, so everything worked out fine. When it was finally my turn, there was only a Squirtle left. I started to reach for the red and white pokeball, but the professor stopped me.  
"Wait, Austin," he said, pushing some buttons on a keypad attached to the glass case, "I have something special for you."   
Surprised by this remark, I stepped back and watched the professor. After pushing several numbers on the keypad, a small door inside the glass case slid up, revealing a small compartment that was lighted in a red fluorescent glow. He grabbed a towel and reached in, slowly removing a large egg. It was spotted with multicolored squares, triangles, and circles, all of which added to it's beauty.  
I stared at the amazing object in awe as he spoke, "I know your father very well, Austin, and I know a lot more about you than you think. I do know that you are a mature child, and I trust you with this egg. It is of a newer species, one that hasn't really developed much, but will in due time."  
"What is it?" I asked, stepping closer to the egg and feeling the warm glow coming from it.  
"That I can't tell you," he said, "I want you to find that out by yourself."  
I was slightly annoyed by his answer, but understood his reasoning. I carefully took the egg from him and wrapped it in the towel. He again spoke, "The egg is due to hatch in a couple days, but for it to do this, you must be careful with it. You must keep it warm and safe, or the pokemon will never hatch."  
"Okay," I replied, following him out the door and into the warm sunlight, "I'll be careful with it."  
"I know, Austin," he said with a gentle smile, "Now, you must be going if you plan to make it to Viridian by tomorrow. Good luck, and I expect lots of pokemon from you!"  
I started down the path out of town, eager to start my journey, and to catch new pokemon.  
Chapter 2  
As I walked up the path towards Viridian Forest, I kept the egg wrapped in a towel so it would stay warm. There was a flock of Pidgies flying above my head.  
"Man, I wish I could catch some pokemon now. I can't wait until my egg hatches. Then I'll be able to catch as many pokemon as I want." I thought to myself as I neared the forest.  
Soon, I confronted a funny-looking pokemon. It was purple and had sharp fangs, but it was only a couple inches high. I pointed my pokedex at it;  
RATTATA: A rat pokemon. Rattata come out in day to search for food such as nuts and berries. Rattata are also known to be scavengers  
"Well, he's not getting my food," I said as I quickly hurried along. The rattata soon sprinted off into some bushes.  
After a few hours, I reached Viridian Forest. A sign on front read:  
VIRIDIAN FOREST: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK  
"OK, fine," I said with a shrug as I continued.   
The forest had crisp air and the smell of pine all around. There was a clear-cut path that edged its way through the woods. As I hurried along, I heard a distant voice:  
"Pidgey, go!"  
"Whoa," I thought to myself, "A pokemon battle!" I soon sprinted over to the source of the sound and found myself in a clearing. A boy that looked a little older than me was facing a small bug pokemon. I pointed my pokedex at the pokemon:  
CATERPIE: A bug pokemon. This pokemon uses suctions on its body to inch its way around with great speed  
"Cool." I thought, "That kids lucky."  
The boy then commanded to his Pidgey, "Pidgey, gust, now!"  
The Caterpie responded quickly and quickly jumped to the side. The pidgey's gust just hit the ground and diminished.   
"Aw man," the boy whined, "OK, Pidgey, watch out for-" The boy didn't have time to finish his sentence. The Caterpie shot a long strand of a white substance.  
I pointed my pokedex at it: Caterpie's first move, STRING SHOT, lowers the speed of its opponent  
The pidgey was stunned a little, but not finished. The boy then yelled to his pidgey, "Try gust again, Pidgey!" The pidgey obeyed and this time the Caterpie had no time to respond. The gust of wind hit him hard and he hit the ground.  
"Pokeball, go!" the mysterious boy yelled as he tossed a red and white pokeball at the caterpie. After a few seconds, the light on the pokeball indicated that Caterpie was caught.  
"Yes!" the boy said, happy that he had finally captured him. "Pidgey, return!"  
I then came out of hiding and confronted him, "Hey, that was pretty cool."  
"Oh. Thanks. You watched the entire fight?"  
"Yep," I replied, "And it was a good fight at that.  
"Thanks," he then remarked, "Oh, by the way, my names Stork. Or, at least people call me that because I'm so tall.  
"I'm Austin Ketchum. From Pallet"  
"Oh, you're from Pallet? I'm from Viridian City. I just came back to the woods to try out my new pokemon. My dad gave it to me for my birthday."  
"Oh, you mean your pidgey?" I asked.  
"Yep. I want to evolve him into a Pigeot so he can help me catch other pokemon. So, what about you? What pokemon do you have?"  
I replied nervously, "Well, er...um, you see, I don't really have a pokemon yet. All I have is this Pokemon egg," I said as I showed him my egg.  
"Oh cool!" he replied in awe, "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say thats the egg of a-"  
He was interrupted when the egg started shaking back and forth. A crack started to work its way around the middle half of the egg.  
"It's hatching!" I cried out happily.  
The crack finally made its way around the circumference of the egg, causing the top half to pop off, revealing my new pokemon, well, um, I really didn't know what it was. It was yellow, and had a cute face. Its head was spiked all the way around the top.  
"That's what I thought," Stork said as two hands and two feet popped out of the shell, "It's a Togepy."  
"A what?" I asked him as I pointed my Pokedex at it:  
TOGEPI: A grass/physic pokemon. Togepy wear their shell their whole life, never revealing their bottom half. Togepy believes that the first pokemon or human it sees is its mother and is imprinted with the image its whole life  
"Cool," I said out loud. The Togepy looked at me and then said "Togepy!" in a really cheerful voice. It must think I'm its mother, so I picked it up. Soon, it motioned to get down, so I put it down. It then climbed onto its feet and waddled over to Stork. It stared at him for a few seconds and then waddled over to the pokeballs at his waist.  
"Gepy!" it said as it pressed on one of the pokeballs. A caterpie popped out that seemed very weak. The two began conversing between each other, so Stork and I let them be as we talked with each other.  
"So," I asked him, "How did you know what a Togepy is?"  
"Well, my dad had one once, but it wasn't alive when I was born. All I saw were pictures of him and my dad."  
"Oh, cool," I said.  
"Yep. Hey, are you on your way to Viridian City?"  
"Yeah," I replied, "Do you want to come with me?"  
"Ok. At Viridian we can stop and get our pokemon healed, and then head over to my house to eat and sleep," he said.  
I then looked at my Togepy. It had fallen asleep, so I pointed one of my pokeballs at it and said, "Togepy, return!" A red glow then emitted from the pokeball and swallowed Togepy into it. After Stork did the same, we got up and headed to Viridian City as the sun began to set.  
Chapter 3  
Stork and I reached Viridian City at around 9:00 at night, do it was pretty dark, with the exception of the dim glow of the moon, reflecting of the few ponds in the city. There were still people walking around the city, mostly couples who wanted to take a stroll.   
Stork and I first went and gave our Pokemon to Nurse Joy for healing. Stork's Caterpie was still weak from its last battle and my Togepy needed to get some shots so it wouldn't get sick at such a young age. Nurse Joy said that any baby pokemon should be taken care of carefully, because they can easily die.  
After depositing our pokemon for the night, Stork and I headed over to his house, which was only a block away. When we arrive, his family was in the middle of putting everyone to bed. He had a total of 4 siblings- 3 boys and one girl. The girl was the youngest of the group, and looked like she was the most mature because she was sitting quietly in the corner reading a children's book with her doll. Her brothers, on the other hand, were running around shooting each other with play guns.  
Stork's mother cried helplessly to her sons, "Boys. Stop it right now, boys. Derek, drop that gun this instance! Oh, no, you better not shoot me..." a squirt of water poured from the gun and right onto her face.   
Stork's dad finally intervened, " STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" he screamed. The boys immediately complied and filed quietly up to their rooms.  
"That's better," Stork's mother said with a sigh of relief. She then looked at me, "Oh, Bobby, you have a friend."  
"Bobby?" I asked with a snicker.  
"OK, so I have a real name," he said with a sneer.  
"Well, Bobby, is your friend-"  
"Austin," Stork said.  
"Oh. Is your friend Austin going to stay the night?"  
"If its ok with you. He's been out in Viridian Forest and he's pretty tired. Is it ok with you?"  
"Why, certainly. I'm just sorry he saw us at such a busy time, putting the boys to bed and everything. Lucky for us we have at least one good child in this household," she said looking at the youngest girl sitting in the corner.  
"Sarah," she said, "will you please go to your bed?"  
"OK, Mommy," she said as she quietly stood up and walked into her room.   
"Well, Stork," she said concentrating on us once again, "Why don't you two head up to your room and get some sleep. You two can go out again tomorrow."  
***  
The next morning, we woke at around 9:00. We had slept in because of our long hike the other day.   
After getting dressed and having breakfast, we walked over to the Pokecenter to retrieve our pokemon. My Togepy greeted me happily.  
"Togepy! Gepy!" it said cheerfully as it hopped into my arms.   
"Nice to see you too, boy. Or girl," I said to him/her. He then proceeded to show me a blue triangle on his shell, and blue, being to international symbol for me, proved that he was indeed a boy.  
"OK, boy. I got it," I said to him. I then turned to Stork, "How are yours?"  
"Great. My Caterpie's as lively as ever," he replied, bringing out his Caterpie. The Caterpie then crawled up his arm and onto its head, where it curled up and rested.  
After returning our pokemon to their pokéballs (well, except for my Togepy who refused to go back into his pokéball. I discovered later that he only enters his pokéball to sleep), we headed back to Viridian for a small hike. I was hoping to find a new pokemon, but my hopes weren't too high.  
But, too my surprise, a pokemon did appear. It was a Weedle. Now, I don't usually turn down a pokemon, but I don't like poison pokemon. They're always so vicious and deadly that I'm afraid to hold one.  
"Hey, Stork. If you want you can catch this one. I'm not too keen on poison pokemon," I said to him.  
His face immediately lit up. He turned to the Weedle and threw a pokéball.  
"Pidgey, go!" he screamed.   
A Pidgey emerged from the pokéball and flew straight up.  
"Pidgey, sand-attack!" Stork again screamed. The Pidgey complied, and a shroud of sand was blown onto the Weedle. Knowing that Stork would probably come out the winner of this fight, I walked on to just see if any pokemon were nearby.  
I found myself on a different path, and soon found a small hut with some smoke coming out of the chimney. I walked up to the hut and knocked on the door, hoping to get some help on getting out of here because I soon found out I was lost.  
I knocked on the door, and a gruff, middle-aged man appeared at the doorway.  
"Whata you want?" he asked angrily.   
I replied nervously, "Umm... well, you see, I'm kinda lost..."  
I stopped as I peeked into the hut and saw a small pokémon whining in the corner, apparently hurt.  
"Um, is your pokémon ok?" I asked, still staring at the injured pokémon.  
"Hey, kid. Mind your own business. It's fine ok?"  
"Well, it doesn't look too 'ok'," I said. "Do you mind if I try to help it?"  
"Hey, didn't I tell you to stay outa my business?" he said in an even harsher voice.  
"I'm just trying to help. If that pokémon doesn't get help, it could die."  
"Fine, but you better not try to steal anything outa my house, or you'll be sorry," he said sliding his forefinger across his throat.  
"OK, I won't," I then said as I walked in.  
I found the pokémon in the corner. It looked like a small dog. I pointed my Pokédex at it;  
GROWLITHE: A fire pokémon. Growlithe are known to guard things or people with their lives. If a Growlithe feels, hurt or threatened, it is known to lash out and burn its attacker  
"Whoa," I said, stepping more cautiously towards the creature now. But, then I remembered something. I then looked at the man who was watching me carefully. His arms were well bitten and were covered in burn marks. I then felt extremely sorry for the Growlithe.  
"I bet that man's been beating his pet," I thought sadly to myself.  
I proceeded onto the Growlithe, and, as his name suggests, he growled at me.  
"Its ok, buddy. I'm only trying to help you," I then said as I slowly pulled out the vile of potion Professor Oak had given me a few days back.   
"Here you go, Growlithe. It might taste bad, but it will heal your bruises." I then gave him the medicine and he laid down, probably trying to digest the potion. After a short while, he fell asleep.  
I finally turned to his owner, "did you by any chance beat your Growlithe?"  
"Hey, that's none of your damn business!"  
"I see the bite and burn marks on your arm. You beat him because he was too weak or he didn't listen to you, didn't you?"   
"He was too weak and I lost a lot of money on bets on him!" he said in almost a whining voice.  
"Well, that's no reason to beat him!" I said angrily and fiercely.  
"Listen, kid, if you want him so much, why don't you just take him. He's a weakling who can't fight. As a matter of fact, lets battle. If I win, I get all your money and whatever else you have. If you win, you get Growlithe. OK?"  
"No. What happens to Growlithe if you win?"  
He replied with an evil look on his face, "Well, lets just say that Growlithe won't be too happy if I win."  
"You're on," I said to him. I was now determined to win. If I didn't, Growlithe might end up dead.  
We proceeded outside into a grassy meadow. We were each to use only one pokémon seeing that I only had one. I sent out Togepy, who had been sleeping in his pokéball. When he was sent out, he woke up and discovered that he was about to fight his first-ever fight.   
"Togepy!" he said in a determined tone.  
"That's great, boy. Now this battle is very important because it could mean life or death for a pokémon. So do your best!" I said to him in an encouraging voice.  
"Gepy!" he said as he walked onto the playing field (pun not induced).  
"OK, fine," the man said, "Ekans, go!"  
I pointed my pokédex at the purple pokémon:  
EKANS: A snake pokémon. Ekans are known to eat eggs of other pokémon. Trainers should also be cautious of the poison it secretes into its victims  
"Oh no," I muttered to myself, "go figure- it eats eggs. Well, lets just hope it doesn't come down to that. Togepy, attack-wait! What are your attacks?" My pokédex answered that:  
Currently, Togepy knows the attacks SING and POUND  
"OK, Togepy, pound, now!" I yelled as he complied. He started running towards Ekans and then jumped high into the air.  
My opponent screamed, "Ekans, counter-attack!" The Ekans came soaring at Togepy, but Togepy was to high in the air and came down on Ekan's head hard.  
"Way, to go, buddy!" I screamed happily.  
"Hey, kid, it's not over. Ekans, tackle!"  
The Ekans quickly recovered frm its last hit and started soaring yet again to Togepy.  
"Togepy, watch ou-" It was too late. My Togepy was hit hard and hit the ground. He was dazed, but was not done for. He got up and waited for his next command.  
"Togepy, sing!" I said, wondering myself what sing was. He started to sing, almost hypnotizing the Ekans. The Ekans then softly hit the ground and curled up into a deep sleep.   
"No! Ekans, wake up!" his trainer cried helplessly.  
"OK, Togepy. Pound, now!"  
The Togepy did a running jump and hit Ekans hard, fainting him, but not waking him up. The sing attack must have been pretty strong.  
"Ekans, return!" the man yelled in a defeated voice. "Ok, kid, looks like you won. Growlithe is yours."  
"Great!" I said as I ran inside. Growlithe woke up as I came in.   
"Hey, buddy. You don't have to stay with him anymore! You can come with me and I'll take care of you. You just have to trust me on this." I then set a pokéball on the ground and waited for him to make his decision. The man came in and said, "C'mon, Growlithe. I promise I won't beat you anymore."  
"Don't doy it!" I said, "He was going to kill you if I didn't win that last match!"  
The Growlithe was now very confused, but my Togepy calmly walked over to it and they began conversing.  
"Togepy. Gepy." "Growlithe?" "Togepy! Gepy. Togep!" "Growlithe"  
Soon, my Togepy turned to me and said in a joyful voice, "Togepy!" I then looked at the Growlithe and he walked over to the pokéball and pushed the button. He was immediately sucked in and the light indicated he was there to stay.  
"Yes! That's 2 pokémon!" I screamed happily as I picked up the pokéball and attached it to my belt.  
"No," the man muttered under his breath.  
I then confronted him, "If you plan on keeping your pokémon, I suggest you stop beating them. Instead help them out. Go to the pokécenter in Viridian and heal your Ekans. Then train him, that's the only way they'll get better at fighting. You lost one pokémon, and I don't think it'd be too easy to catch more."  
The man stood stunned as I walked out of his hut. I guess that showed him. But then I remembered why I went there in the first place. I turned to him and he said, "Take the path over there. It will lead to a big meadow where you can find your way to Viridian easily."  
"Thanks," I said as I followed the path.   
When I reached the meadow, I found Stork sitting in the grass, watching his to bug pokémon play.  
"So," I said, "you caught the Weedle."  
"Hey Austin. Where've you been?"  
"It's a long story. C'mon, I'll explain on the way home," I said as I indicated that we should go.  
"Ok," Stork said. "Weedle, Caterpie, return!"   
Chapter 4  
My new Growlithe was great. When Stork and I returned to his house, Growlithe played with all of the kids and kept them busy while their parents cooked. Stork's mother listened intently to my story as I told it to everybody and then told me of the man.  
"Why, the man you're talking about just might be Mr. Botz. In his younger years, Botz was a great pokémon trainer and a wonderful explorer. But as he got older, his pokémon grew old also and, eventually, died. Mr. Botz became sad and angry that some of his lifelong pets would die, so he lashed out at his new pokémon. I'm guessing this Growlithe is one of those unfortunate pokémon."  
"Wow," I said in awe, "So it wasn't Growlithe that was the problem, it was Botz himself."  
After dinner, Stork and I brought our new pokémon (Weedle and Growlithe) to the pokécenter to heal. As it turns out, Growlithe had a sprained leg that would be set overnight.   
***  
The next morning, we woke again at a late hour (around 10 am). We walked over to the market first to get some fresh fruit for breakfast and then went and picked up our pokémon. My Growlithe would have to remain of the leg for about 2 days, so until then, we were going to hang out in Viridian. My plans were to head to Pewter to fight the owner of the local gym for the Boulder Badge and then rest there overnight. Stork, on the other hand, was still undecided on whether to come with me or stay in Viridian. He commented to me that morning, "All I really want to do is try to collect all the pokémon in the world. I don't care about fighting other people or anything."  
We spent the day watching pokémon battles on the TV because it started to rain outside and we were still worn from the previous days. Stork and I made small bets on the battles and, to my surprise, Stork won most of the bets.   
"One dollar on Ponyta," he would say and then Ponyta would win. In one instance, he said Grimer would win against Pigeot, but then Grimer evolved into a Muk, so we didn't know how to rule it.  
"Hey, Grimer and Muk are totally different pokémon. You said Grimer would win, but it was Muk who came out in the end!" I would argue.  
"But it was still the same creature that one, it just had a different body!" he would then say.  
We went on like this for days, arguing over stupid thing like pokémon battles. Finally, Growlithe's leg brace was ready to be taken off after 3 days of waiting.  
At dinner that night, we talked about what Stork was going to do the next day. His parents didn't think he was ready to go, but Stork argued that he had been waiting a long time for this, and now it was his chance. Finally, after 2 hours of debating, Stork was allowed to go, only if he checked back home every other day.  
"Yes!" Stork exclaimed as we got ready to sleep that night. It had been customary for Growlithe to sleep with us at night so he curled up on my sleeping bag and easily fell asleep. As for my Togepy, he was growing by the day, getting a little bit bigger every time he was fed.  
***  
We woke up the next morning bright and early so we would arrive in Pewter before day broke. After Stork and I said our good-byes, we headed over to the pokémart to stock up on supplies because people said prices were more expensive in Pewter City because it was larger and had more people. I only bought a couple pokéballs and some potions, but Stork bought 25 pokéballs saying, "I know I'll go through these fast."  
There was a main road that headed straight to Pewter, but Stork refused to go on it stating that "there aren't any pokémon on the road. We've got to take the back-roads to find pokémon!" I complied, only because he was such a good whiner.   
On the way, my Togepy insisted on sitting on my shoulder and my Growlithe refused to be cooped up in a pokéball all day, so he was allowed to walk with us.   
"Y'know, Austin," Stork said with a grin, "if you keep letting your pokémon walk around like that, you won't even need pokéballs."  
"Shut up," I replied. At the same time, Growlithe was onto the trail of some pokémon, so we had to follow him so I wouldn't lose him. All of the sudden, a fierce bird flew out of the sky and dove at us. Having earlier learned Growlithe's moves, I told him to use roar. The Spearow (as I identified it) was edging closer, but Growlithe let out a huge roar ,"GROWL!". Both Stork and I were shaken from the loud sound and the Spearow immediately flew away scared stiff.  
"Wow," Stork exclaimed, "if your Growlithe's bark is as vicious as it's bite, you'll have a very powerful pokémon!"  
"Yeah. I didn't even know a sound that loud could come from a creature that small," I said looking down proudly at my pet. But then, I realized Togepy had disappeared. I found his pokéball and told him to come out. When he appeared, he had tucked his head, legs, and arms into is shell.  
"It's OK, buddy. It was only Growlithe," I said trying to comfort him. His shell was shaking nervously and he was crying. Growlithe walked over to him and they started talking again. Eventually, Togepy popped his head out of his shell and looked up into the sky. He and Growlithe began laughing together.  
"I bet Growlithe told him how he scared away that Spearow," Stork said. Togepy was still sniffling away tears with laughter as we continued.   
Stork soon heard a sound in the woods, so he went to investigate to see if it was a pokémon. I, on the other hand, was forced to wait for him.   
It was really quiet and my Togepy fell asleep again. I returned him to his pokéball, but then heard a rustling in some nearby shrubs. Growlithe began barking, but I commanded him to stop, and then walked over to investigate. Out of nowhere, a walking fern start running away. What is that?  
My pokédex spoke out of my pocket: ODDISH: A plant pokémon. Oddish are known to be easily spooked and are hard to catch  
"Well, we'll see about that. Growlithe, bite!"   
Growlithe ran at the Oddish, ready to attack, but the Oddish had great speed and quickly jumped out of the way, causing Growlithe to run into a tree. The Oddish then went over to the temporarily stunned pokémon and stood on top of him. Growlithe began glowing. "What's going on?" I asked my pokédex:  
Oddish is using the move ABSORB. He is absorbing energy from your Growlithe  
"No! Growlithe, get up!" I yelled. Growlithe got up, but was very weak.   
"Growlithe, ember attack!" I yelled. He began spitting flames out of its mouth. This got the Oddish good.  
"Pokéball, go!" I yelled as I threw the ball at the roasted Oddish.  
The ball began to shake back and forth, the light glowing. Finally, the ball stopped shaking and the light stopped glowing.  
"YES!" I exclaimed loudly. I picked up the pokéball and sent Oddish out.  
"Oddish," it said in a weary voice.  
"Here you go, drink this," I said to him as I gave him a potion. He drank it and then stuck his tongue out in disgust and made a funny face.  
"Oddish," he said with the weird look.  
"I know it tastes bad, but it'll help. Trust me. Now come back into your pokéball so you can rest."  
He returned, just as Stork appeared from the woods.  
"It was only a stupid branch that fell," he said in a depressed voice. He then sniffed the air, "Hey, what's cooking? Something smells burned."  
"Oh, well...um, you see...I sorta..." I mumbled, afraid to tell him that I caught another pokémon.   
"What?!" he exasperated in a annoyed voice.  
"I caught another pokémon- an Oddish."  
"Oh, good for you," he said, calming down.  
"WHAT?" I asked loudly, "Aren't you mad I caught a pokémon that you didn't have?"  
"Why should I be? You were in the right place at the right time. Listen, Austin, I'm not going to get mad if you catch a pokémon that I don't own. I'll just try to catch one later."  
"Oh, that's a relief. I was beginning to fear that I could only catch pokémon when you weren't around.  
"Of course not. Now lets get going, we've got to get to Pewter before sundown and we still have a few hours to go."  
We continued on our journey, both determined to be the best at what we wanted to do. Stork, to become the best, um, pokémon catcher, and me to become the best pokémon trainer. I now had three pokémon, and I knew that both Stork and I would own more in the future.  
Chapter 5  
Stork and I entered Pewter City at around 8:00pm. We were dead tired from walking, and my Growlithe needed to go into the pokécenter because he got a nice bump in the head from my new Oddish, who was also put into the pokécenter for treatment. My Togepy had been sleeping for the rest of the way to Pewter in his pokéball, so when we found a hotel to stay at, he was a lively as ever. Stork and I, on the other hand, were dead tired from walking. We each collapsed in our beds and turned on the TV. Right now, there was a long infomercial about the newest inventions for pokémon on the Non-Stop Pokémon channel, so we walked over to a nearby restaurant and ate like there was no tomorrow.  
My Togepy quietly drank some water on our table as Stork started to tell me about who I would be facing tomorrow, "I think his name is Brock. He's a trainer of rock time and its rumored he has a Geodude and an Onix. Anyway, he's very determined to win, so you might want to watch out for your pokémon when they're battling."  
"Ok," I replied nervously. I then asked, "How do you know all this?"  
"Well, my friend's brother's cousin in-law's nephew's son began his pokémon journey a couple of years ago, so it sorta got around."  
"Uh, yeah," I said with a crack in my voice.  
"So, anyway," he began, trying to make conversation, "how do you like your new Oddish?"  
"He's great," I replied, "He's also the first pokémon I ever caught."  
"Oh yeah. So that means he's sorta special."  
"Yep, and I can't wait till he evolves."  
Our food then came, and we ate happily, seeing that the last thing we ate were some cookies on the way there. My Togepy came up to my salad and poked at it with curiosity.   
"Hey, stop that," I said with a laugh. He looked up at me with a confused look, and then back again at my salad. He quickly grabbed a piece of lettuce and quickly waddled to the other side of the table. There he say down and started chomping happily on the lettuce.  
"Togepy!" he said with a grin.  
Stork then said with a smirk, "At least he's getting his leafy greens."  
***  
As usual, we woke up the next morning at around 10. After we had left the restaurant, we made a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up some eggs and bacon for breakfast. We also picked up some snacks for later. As I cracked the eggs, Togepy saw me and screamed, "TOGEPY!"   
"Oh, yeah. Well, you see, um...these aren't Togepy eggs...see, um these come from chickens and... um, they were never living or anything," I said nervously, trying to comfort him.   
So, anyway, Stork and I ended up eating bacon for breakfast.   
My Growlithe and my Oddish were still sleeping when I got them back from the pokécenter, so I waited for them to wake up before I went and challenged Brock for the Boulder badge. While they were sleeping, I looked up Oddish's moves in my pokédex.  
Oddish's current moves are ABSORB and POISON POWDER  
"Ok," I said to myself.   
Stork had gone out for another hour to look for more pokémon, while I continued to wait for my pokémon to awaken. I watched pokémon battles on TV, some were Haunter against Kadabra, Raticate against Ditto, and Hitmonchan against Raichu. After about 2 hours, Stork returned with a huge smile on his face.  
"What are you so happy about," I asked him.  
"Well, there's a couple reasons. One, there was another trainer in the woods who I battled. I used my Caterpie and," he stopped as he pulled a pokéball from his waist and opened it. A green, dull-eyed thing came out. I pointed my pokédex at it:  
METAPOD: The evolved form of Caterpie. Metapod is a pokémon at a cocoon stage, where it will soon evolve into Butterfree with enough experience. Like Kakuna, the only move it knows is HARDEN  
"So, you got yourself a Metapod," I said, "What's the other part of your good news?"   
He then returned Metapod to his pokémon and grabbed another one. A red light shot out and formed the shape of a bird pokémon.  
"Remember that Spearow that attacked us?" he asked with a grin, "Well, I think this is that Spearow."  
The Spearow appeared on the floor and let out a cry, "Spearow!"  
This awoke Growlithe, who then proceeded to bark, which woke Oddish, who began to run frantically around in circles. In all the pandemonium, my Togepy began crying.   
Stork quickly held out Spearow's pokéball and yelled, "Spearow, return!"  
I then quickly grabbed two of my pokéballs and commanded Growlithe and Oddish to do the same. There were bright flashes of red light everywhere, lighting up the room with a luminescent glow. Then, there was silence, well, except for Togepy who was slowly starting to sniffle his tears.   
"It's ok, buddy," I comforted him as I gave him a piece of lettuce, which was now one of his favorite foods.  
After cleaning up our hotel room and paying for a broken vase, we headed to the Pewter City Gym. Out front, there were several kids playing, the oldest being about 8 years old. He confronted us, and asked us if either of us wanted to battle him. Stork quickly agreed, "I'll battle you!"  
So, an area was cleared for battle and all of the younger kids and I made a circle around the battleground. The fight then began:  
The younger boy called out his first pokémon, "Rattata, come out!"  
Stork then yelled, "Spearow, let's do it!"  
"Rattata, tail whip!"  
The Rattata ran to the Spearow and got his tail ready. Spearow just stood there. Right when Rattata was in hitting distance, he swung, but Spearow was to fast and flew up quickly. The Rattata then stumbled around and landed on his back.  
"Spearow, peck attack!" Stork screamed.  
The Spearow dove down at the dazed Rattata and hit him hard in the gut with his beak. The Rattata flinched in pain, but got back up and waited for his next order.  
"Rattata, tackle it while its on the ground," the young trainer yelled.  
The Rattata immediately jumped at Spearow, who was caught off guard.   
The Spearow hit the ground and the trainer then yelled, "Hit it again with Quick Attack!"  
The Rattata jumped at the injured Spearow and hit him once more. Spearow collapsed in a faint.  
"Spearow re-huh?" Stork asked confusingly as the Rattata started to glow and grow bigger. It then screamed, "Raticate!"  
I pointed my pokédex at the newly evolved Raticate:  
RATICATE: A rat pokémon. The evolved form of Rattata, Raticate, possesses even larger fangs and is very powerful. One of its most powerful moves is HYPER FANG  
"Uh-oh," I quietly said to myself, "Stork's in for it now."  
After Stork had returned Spearow, he yelled, "Weedle, go!"  
The yellow bug popped out but was extremely frightened when it saw the large, brown rat towering over it. "We-dle-le," it stuttered in a scared voice.  
"It's, ok, Weedle, your more powerful than this rat. Poison sting, now," Stork exclaimed.  
The Weedle obeyed, despite how scared it was. It lunged at the Raticate, its stinger facing forward.  
The young boy then screamed, "Raticate, dodge the stinger!" But it was too late. The boy had hesitated and the needle dug into the Raticate's neck. The Raticate's vision faded as it collapsed onto the ground.  
"No!" he screamed, "That was my only pokémon!" He quickly returned his pokémon and sprinted towards the pokécenter.  
Stork was about to return his Weedle when it started to glow. "It's evolving!" a young girl said from the crowd. We all stared in awe as the Weedle grew a hard crust, which covered its body. It became a yellow pokémon, resembling Stork's Metapod. I then remembered what my pokédex said about Metapod and Kakuna being very similar.  
"This must be a Kakuna," I thought out loud.  
"Cool," Stork exclaimed, "Two evolved pokémon in one day!"  
We then remembered what we were there for in the first place, to win the Boulder Badge.  
Stork then said to me, "I'm going to go put my pokémon in the pokécenter. I'll meet you in there in about 10 minutes, ok?"  
"Sure," I said as I walked in and opened the doors.  
When I opened the doors, my mouth dropped down. There were kids sprinting around in every square foot of the gym. They were playing on rocks and huge boulders that dotted the large room. In the middle, trying to calm them all down was a middle-aged man who was yelling and practically pulling his hair out of his head.   
"Um...Is this a bad time?" I asked the man.  
"Oh. Sorry, you caught me off guard. No, its not a bad time, I'm just trying to calm these kids down. Hey, Joseph, get down from there!" he yelled as he ran over and grabbed a small child who was climbing on top of an exceptionally large boulder.  
"Ok," I replied, trying to ignore all the kids, "I'm here to battle Brock for the Boulder Badge."  
"Oh, Brock. Well, see... he took off a couple months ago with his friend, um...Ash. I think that's the name."  
"Is it Ash Ketchum, by any chance?" I asked the frenetic man.  
"Yeah, that's it. He's on a pokémon journey with him."  
"Oh, well then who do I talk to to get a Boulder Badge?"  
"A Boulder Badge. Well, that'd be me," the man replied, "By the way, I'm Flint, Brock's father."  
"I'm Austin Ketch-I'm Austin."  
"Well, nice to meet you. So, let's battle!" he enthusiastically replied. Right then, Stork walked into the gym.  
"Where's Brock?" he asked.  
"I'll explain later" I said, turning back to Flint, who was clearing the children off of the battle area.  
"Ok, Graveler, go!"  
A walking rock popped out of the pokéball. I pointed my pokédex at the strange pokémon:  
GRAVELER: A rock pokémon. The evolved form of Geodude. Graveler are rumored to be made of the strongest rock on the planet, causing them to have a very strong defense  
"What are the best pokémon to use against it?" I asked it.  
Graveler are weak against Water and Ground pokémon  
"Well, I don't have any water pokémon," I thought to myself, "But Togepy is part Ground. Togepy, go!"  
My Togepy came out of his pokéball, groggy from just waking up. He then saw the pokémon and got ready for battle.   
"Togepy!" he yelled in a determined voice.   
"Ok, Togepy, pound!"  
My Togepy started running and then jumped high in the air.  
"Graveler, defense curl!" Flint yelled. His Graveler tucked his arms and legs in and my Togepy hit the hard rock.  
"Togepy!" I screamed.  
He hit the ground once again, but got back up, determined to win.   
"Togepy, let's put it to sleep! Sing attack!"  
He started to sing and the Graveler's eyes started to dull until they finally closed and he hit the ground.  
"Graveler, return!" Flint cried, "Squirtle, go!"  
He then said with a red face, "My son always used rock pokémon, but Graveler was my only rock pokémon, so I had to get another pokémon."  
I then called Togepy back and opened my pokédex. "What's good against water?"  
The best pokémon to use against water are plant and grass pokémon  
"Ok. Oddish, go!"  
My Oddish popped out with a happy grin, "Oddish! Ish!"  
"Squirtle, water gun!"  
The water hit Oddish, only causing him to fall back. He immediately got up and waited for his next command.  
"Oddish," I screamed, "Poison Powder!"  
Oddish squinted his eyes and let a green powder shoot out from his leaves. They sprinkled down on Squirtle who then wobbled dizzily around until he hit the floor.  
"Squirtle, tackle!" Flint screamed frantically.  
The Squirtle slowly got up and started jogging at Oddish with dull eyes. He then lunged, but hit the ground and closed his eyes right in front of Oddish.  
"Oddish!" he screamed as he jumped up and down.   
"Way to go, Oddish!" Stork yelled from a corner.  
"Togepy!" my Togepy screamed.  
"Well, good job Austin," Flint said as he returned his Squirtle, "Here's your Boulder Badge."  
I looked at the badge with eyes wide. "My first badge!" I exclaimed as I showed it to Stork.  
"Way, to go, Austin!" Stork said with as much excitement.   
After saying goodbye to Flint and his children, we walked outside to find the sun setting behind the mountains.  
"Well," I said with a sigh, "This was an interesting day."  
Chapter 6  
After getting a full night of rest in Pewter City, Stork and I started to set out for Route 3. Before leaving, we stocked up on potions because Cerulean City was the next city over and was a ways away. Stork ended up having to sell 15 of his pokéballs to afford some potions. Also, my Togepy insisted on buying a head of lettuce, which had become a bad addiction of his.   
We finally left the city at around 9:30 a.m., but we were well ready for whatever would happen. Togepy sat on my shoulder while we walked, usually munching on a piece of lettuce happily. My Growlithe still refused to stay in his pokéball when there were plenty of things to sniff out on a spring day like today. We hiked and hiked, with Stork keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sounds or movement of pokémon.   
Eventually, my Togepy entered his pokéball because there was an unbearable heat outside. Stork and I were down to shorts and t-shirts, putting the rest of our clothes in our backpacks. My Growlithe began to pant heavily and I didn't want a fainted pokémon, so Stork and I looked for a water source of some kind.   
We finally found a pond that lay under a canopy of trees, so we went there and set our things down for lunch. My Growlithe happily gulped down water as his strength slowly returned.  
After Stork and I ate our lunches, I began to read a book by Professor Oak entitled, "Pokémon and You: The How-To on Catching and Raising Pokémon." Stork, on the other hand, wasn't ready to just sit down and wait for pokémon to come along, so he immediately took off to find a nearby rustling on the other side of the pond (or it could be called a small lake because it was quite large). In a matter of minutes I heard a familiar yelp, "OWWWWWW!"  
"What has Stork down this time?" I asked myself as I got up and went to the source of the sound.  
When I saw what it was, I practically dropped down laughing. Stork was standing red-faced with some sort of pokémon biting his butt with anger in its eyes.  
As I wiped tears from my eyes, I stuttered, "Stork...hehe...What did you...What did you do? Hahahaha!"  
"Shut up," he replied angrily, "get this thing off my ass!"  
As I slowly stopped laughing, I ordered Growlithe to attack, "Growlithe, sniff, um...bite it, sniff."  
My Growlithe even had a happy grin on its face when he bit the pokémon off of Stork. Stork then said, "I'll take it from here. This pokémon is mine!"  
"Growlithe," I commanded, "come back."  
I then pointed my pokédex at the small pokémon:  
EEVEE: An evolution pokémon. Eevee will evolve into three different pokémon, depending on if the trainer uses a water stone, a thunder stone, or a fire stone  
"Hey, Stork. Watch out, it might bite you again!" I yelled jokingly.  
"Hey, stay out of this. Spearow, let's do it!" he screamed as he threw his pokéball.  
"Spearow!" it screeched.  
"Spearow, peck it!"  
The Spearow then proceeded to dive bomb the eevee, pecking it several times, each time causing the poor pokémon to cry out more. But on another dive, the eevee jumped out of the way and bit into the Spearow's wing hard. So hard, the wing began to bleed.  
"Spearowwwww!" it cried out in pain.  
"Oh no. Spearow, return! Metapod, go!"  
"WHAT?" I yelled out in confusion, "What are you, doing, Stork?!"  
"What?" he asked, "Metapod will kick this little guy's butt!"  
"Don't you remember what my pokédex said? The only move Metapod knows is HARDEN! He has absolutely no offense!"  
Stork then realized the error of his mistake. But it was too late, the eevee had the poor Metapod pinned. Stork did the only thing he could, seeing that the eevee was blocking the pokéball ray from reaching Metapod, "Metapod, harden!"  
The Metapod's cocoon then started to become thicker and stronger, right when eevee was trying to slash it with its claws. The eevee cried out in pain as its claws broke on the hard shell. Stork then cried, "Metapod, return! Pidgey, gust!"  
The Pidgey flew out of the pokéball and started flapping its wings heavily, causing a gust of wind to form. The gust hid the eevee and knocked it to the ground. The fight was over and Stork screamed, "pokéball, go!" as he threw the red and white ball.  
The eevee finally gave up after about a minute of struggling in the pokéball. Stork picked it up and immediately released it. "Here you go, eevee," he said as he gave it some potion and then bandaged its claw. After returning and healing eevee, he released his Spearow and bandaged his wing. I looked down and noticed my Growlithe saw something over at the area where all our stuff was.  
"Growlithe," I said in a stern voice, "don't bark."  
He muffled his mouth and kept quiet while we slowly headed towards the site. I noticed our bag of food was tipped over and was shaking. "Hey," I said, "there's something in our food!" I ran over there and grabbed the bag, closing it on top. The bag began shaking frantically and I struggled to hold on. Unfortunately, I dropped it and a small pokémon fell out with a piece of bread in its mouth. It ignored me though, and continued to eat the spilled food. I pointed my pokédex at it:  
POLIWAG: A water pokémon. This tadpole enjoys eating algae, but also enjoys eating grainy foods, such as bread and wheat. Trainers should be cautious of its water-type moves  
"Ok," I said, "water is weak against plant. Oddish, go!"  
My Oddish popped out of his pokéball and yelled with a happy face, "Oddish!"  
The Poliwag looked up at us, but then back at the more interesting food. "Oddish, sleep powder!"  
My Oddish proceeded to spray the sleep powder on the Poliwag. The Poliwag looked at me, eyes dimming and then finally closing into a deep sleep.  
"Ok, Oddish, absorb!"  
Oddish then hopped on top of the sleeping Poliwag and started to glow softly as it sucked health from it. "OK, Oddish, that's enough. We don't want to faint it," I said, taking precautions. He hopped off of the tadpole as I threw my pokéball, "Pokéball, go!"  
The ball didn't shake for long because the Poliwag was sleeping deeply. "Oddish, return!" I then yelled as the red ray came out and sucked Oddish into his pokéball. After healing the Poliwag and returning it to its pokéball once again, I walked over to Stork who was just finishing bandaging up his pokémon.   
"I heard some sounds," he said, "What happened?"  
"Oh, I caught a Poliwag who was eating our food. He's still sleeping from my Oddish's sleep powder."  
"Cool. Well, let's get going," he said as he stood up and then yiped in pain, "Owww! Y'know, maybe we shouldn't do anymore hiking to day."  
"Yeah," I agreed with a smirk, "Your butt might need to be tended to."  
"Shut up," he said as he started waddling over to our campsite with me following him, laughing.  
"I can't believe you let that eevee bite you," I said to him, still laughing, as we laid down and started picking up the mess that Poliwag left us.  
"I didn't see it coming. It bit me out of nowhere!"  
"Sure it did," I replied as I gave Growlithe some of the half-chewed bread scraps.  
***  
That night, it was spaghetti for dinner and scraps for the pokémon. The injured Spearow would not be able to fly for a couple days, and eevee's claw would need to heal a couple days also. His Metapod and his Pidgey were unharmed, so they were fine. My Poliwag finally woke at dinnertime, so he got to feed of some more bread. We also got him some pond water to drink.  
We had a fire going, which was really easy to start with Growlithe around, and Stork and I talked while our pokémon ate.  
"So," he said, "today was a pretty good day. I've got myself an Eevee and you caught a Poliwag."  
"Yep," I replied, "So what are you going to evolve your Eevee into?" I then asked as I opened my pokédex:  
Eevee will evolve into Vaporeon with the water stone, Jolteon with the thunder stone, and Flareon with the fire stone   
"I don't know. I don't have a water, electric, or fire pokémon yet, but I've always liked electric pokémon, so I might use the thunder stone," he replied.  
"Well, I don't know which one I'd do," I then said, "If it were me, well, I wouldn't even want an Eevee because I wouldn't be able to decide."  
"Yeah, well, we'll see," Stork said as he started to return his pokémon to their pokéballs. I soon did the same, except for Togepy who was still chewing on a piece of lettuce. When he was finished, he waddled over to me and touched his pokéball, which quickly sucked him in.   
"So," I then said to Stork while looking at my map, "route 3 ends I about a mile or so, where it leads to Mt. Moon."  
"Mt. Moon?" he asked, "Check your pokédex and see what it says about it."  
I flipped open my pokédex and said, "Search Mt. Moon."  
MT. MOON: This mountain is rumored to be filled with the mysterious stone called the MOON STONE. Pokémon of Mt. Moon include Zubat, Paras, and the rare Clefairy and Clefable  
"Cool," Stork said, "I'm gonna catch all of them!"  
"Ok," I said, "Just don't get too eager to catch all of them or you might just not catch any of them."  
"Whatever," Stork said with a grin.  
"Hey," I then started, "What happens if you get over 6 pokémon?"  
"Oh, Viridian has their own professor, too. He's the brother of Professor Oak. I think his name was Drake Oak or something like that. Anyway, my pokémon will be transported there if I get over six."  
"Oh," I replied, "then why didn't you have a starting pokémon and a pokédex?"  
"Well," Stork started, "Our professor didn't have any pokémon to begin with, and he never received any pokédexes from his brother. Apparently, the shipment was lost or something like that."  
"Oh," I then said, "Aren't you mad?"  
"Nah. First of all, I still had my Pidgey, so I didn't need a starting pokémon. And, now that you're around, I don't need a pokédex."  
"Oh," I said with a grin, "so you're just using me for my pokédex?"  
"Well, yeah," he started with an even bigger grin, "you think I would hang out with you because I'm your friend?"  
"Of course not. But what about your pokémon license? Your pokédex is supposed to be your license."  
He replied easily, pulling out a small, laminated index card, "Well, we got these nifty ID cards." The card had a picture of him and other info on it.  
"Cool," I said, "Anyway, we better get to bed because we've gotta get to Mt. Moon tomorrow."  
"Yeah," Stork agreed with a yawn, "Good night."  
"G'night," I replied.  
Chapter 7  
The next morning, I woke to the sound of a Pidgey squawking in the distance. I was cooking some bacon, but I couldn't cook any eggs because Togepy protested yet again. Stork was still sleeping with his butt wrapped in bandages from the Eevee attack yesterday. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at me.  
"What time is it?" Stork asked me in a drowsy voice.  
"Umm," I said as I looked at my watch, "about 8:00."  
He suddenly plopped back into his pillow and faced the other way. "Wake me up when we're ready to leave," he said.  
"What about breakfast?" I asked him, but it was too late. Stork was already fast asleep.   
About an hour later, I had everything back and was filtering some water while Stork washed his face next to me. After pouring the filtered water and separating it into two separate water bottles, I fed all of our pokémon and then cleaned up the dishes, with the aid of Stork.  
We finally returned to Route 3 at around 10:30 as we commenced hiking to Mt. Moon. It was only about a mile away, so the hike wouldn't take long. It will be getting through the mountain that poses the problem.   
"So," Stork said to me, trying to start some conversation as we hiked, "umm. How are your pokémon?"  
"They're ok," I said, pointing to my growing Togepy, who was sitting on my shoulder and eating a piece of lettuce, "Only Togepy here is getting a little too fat off of this lettuce. He eats it nonstop!"   
"I know. Maybe you should get some of that pokémon Slim-Fast stuff. My dad said it works great."  
"Sure," I replied sarcastically, "I'll spend $6 an ounce for that crap. Plus, Togepy wouldn't eat that unless it was lettuce-flavored."  
"Ugh," he said with a disgusted look, "Let's get onto another topic, ok?"  
After an hour of hiking through small brush and trees, we finally arrived at the base of the mountain. There was a small visitor's center nearby, so we started walking towards it. Plus, Stork really had to go to the bathroom.   
In the small lobby, there were several areas to visit. To our left, there was a tiny pokécenter with a Nurse Joy sitting on a stool. In front of us was a small mart where you could buy pokéballs, potions, and other such things. To our immediate right, a doorway led to the actual information area where you could learn about the history and pokémon that inhabit Mt. Moon. As I walked into there, Stork headed straight to the bathrooms, which were next to the mart.   
In the information area, I learned specifically about the pokémon that inhabited this huge mountain. I pressed the button that would signal the computer speaker.  
"Mt. Moon is said to be the very origin of pokémon. Scientists assume that all pokémon were carried over on a space ship or a comet. It is said that this comet broke into several pieces as it entered out atmosphere. The remaining piece was broken into several parts last year. This rock is called the moon stone, and will evolve certain pokémon. The guardians of these rocks are the pokémon, Clefairy and Clefable, both of which inhabit this mountain. Other pokémon in this mountain include Zubat and Paras."  
During the conversation, Stork had come back from the bathroom and was looking at some stuffed pokémon. I walked over to him and looked at the display. It had a small Paras on the ground planting it's mushrooms, while a Zubat hung from above. There was also a stuffed Clefairy, which was holding a small, glowing rock.  
As we worked our way around the room, a young girl about our age stormed into the circular room with two small pokémon running and flapping along behind her.  
Despite the fact that I already knew what they were, I still pulled out my pokédex at them:  
PARAS: The mushroom pokémon. Paras are known to plant the mushrooms that grow on their back and plant them in the ground, where they grow. These mushrooms are often used in potions and antidotes  
I then looked at the other:  
ZUBAT: A bat pokémon. Zubat use their special attack, LEECH LIFE, to suck the health away from their opponent. They are often found in caves and small, damp caverns  
"Leave me alone, you stupid pokémon!" the girl screamed at the Zubat and Paras.  
Stork then confronted her and started talking to her, "Um. Can I ask why you don't want those two pokémon?"  
"Because," she started, "they just followed me out of Mt. Moon. I don't want them, I want a Clefaiy!"  
"But those pokémon obviously like you. And why do you want a Clefairy?"  
"Because that's what I've always wanted!" she yelled, "My professor never had one, so I got stuck with a Bulbasaur. But I've come all the way from Fuchsia City to Mt. Moon so I could catch one. But instead, these two pokémon found me and started following me. I came out of this cave to get rid of these things, but they won't leave me alone!"  
"Oh," Stork said with a sly look on his face, "Would you be willing to trade me your Zubat and Paras for a Clefairy?"  
"You mean you have one?! Of course I would!" she screamed happily.  
"Well, not exactly Stork said, "But I can catch one for you."  
I then cut in as I whispered to Stork, "Are you crazy? Don't make promises you can't keep!"  
"Don't worry," he whispered back, "It will be easy as pie. I mean, how hard can a small pokémon be to catch?"   
***  
"Ok, I admit. I was a little wrong. But there's always tomorrow."  
We had entered the cave soon after our confrontation with Sarah (whose name we learn later). Sarah had set up camp outside the mountain because she had some pokémon to heal. After hiking for several hours we concluded that there were no Clefairies in this mountain. Or at least I thought that. But Stork was determined to get one. My Togepy had long since fallen asleep, and I had to have Growlithe to light the way with a small flame.   
"Stork, it's been 5 hours! And we haven't seen one pokémon!"  
"Yeah, but I know we'll find a Clefairy! I can feel it. Why don't we just find a nice area outside of the cave and campout there?"  
"Ok," I replied with a sigh, "We might as well. It's getting late."  
We soon found an opening that led to a courtyard of grass. There were a few trees and we even noticed another tent on the other side of the small field.   
As I unpacked the tent materials and Stork prepared dinner, the people who were staying in the tent opposite us confronted us. Both were in their twenties, but one was a guy and the other a girl. The man spoke first, "Hey, are those pokéballs on you belt?" he asked.  
"Yeah," I replied, "Do you have pokémon to?"  
"Yep. Hey, do you kids wanna battle?" the woman then asked.  
"Ok," Stork said as he inflated one of his pokéballs, "Let's battle! One pokémon a piece. After we're done, my friend here will battle with the guy."  
"Ok," both strangers agreed as the woman stepped up and inflated one of her pokéballs.  
"Charmeleon, go!" she screamed as the pokéball flew out of her hands and onto the ground. The red lizard looked mad and I feared that Stork might not come out the winner of this match.  
"Char!"  
Stork still looked determined, despite the fearless pokémon's attitude, "Metapod, go!"  
"Are you crazy?" I screamed out.  
"Don't worry," he said, "Metapod's harden move will prevent him from burning!"  
"You better know what you're doing," I said cautiously as I stepped out of the way.  
"Charmeleon, scratch!" the woman screamed. The Charmeleon then squatted down and fired itself into the air, when it was high enough, it swiped at Metapod.  
But as the Charmeleon flew through, Metapod dodged out of the way and allowed the large lizard to hit the rough ground with a "thud."   
"Ok, Metapod, Hard-huh?" Stork stopped as the Metapod began to glow. As the green cocoon glowed, a figure emerged from its back.   
As all four of us watched in awe, a blue butterfly came out.  
"A blue Butterfree," the man said as his mouth gaped open, "I've never seen one this color before. It must be rare."  
"Do you think so?" Stork asked the man without moving his eyes away from his newly evolved pokémon.   
"Well, yeah, I'm sure you could make big money by selling that pokémon," he then said.  
"I wouldn't sell it for anything! I've worked hard raising it from a Caterpie and I wouldn't give it up!" Stork said, now looking down at the man.  
"Ok," the man said, now stepping back.  
"Charmeleon, ember it while it's not paying attention!"  
The Charmeleon suddenly blew a gust of fire that chaffed Butterfree's wing.   
"Hey," Stork cried out, "that was a cheap shot. Butterfree, are you ok?"  
It made a whining noise, but got up and flapped haphazardly into the air, determined to win.  
"Alright, Butterfree! Sleep powder!"  
The butterfly began spraying a yellow powder onto the Charmeleon, who quickly hit the ground and fell asleep with a last sigh.  
"Charmeleon, return now!" the woman yelled as the bright red light sucked the lizard into the darkness of the pokéball.  
"Way to go! Butterfree, return!" Stork also did, cautious of his pokémon's hurt wing.   
After Stork and the woman left the battle area, the man and I stepped up to each other.  
"Ok, same rules. One pokémon a piece."  
"Ok," I said, "then I call out Growlithe!"  
"Fine," he said as my puppy popped out with a happy yipe, "And I'm using Geodude!"  
The funny rock pokémon with arms appeared. I pointed my pokédex at it:   
GEODUDE: A Rock pokémon. Geodude are often mistaken for boulders in fields and many people trip over them. Like all rock pokémon, Geodude are weak against water pokémon  
"Damn," I said to myself, "but Growlithe will do."  
"Geodude, tackle!" the male trainer screamed. The Geodude must of been of a high level, because before I knew it he had Growlithe pinned to the ground.  
"Growlithe, fight him off! Use your ember!"  
My Growlithe complied as he shot a flame right into the rock pokémon's eyes. The Geodude fell back in pain.  
"Ok, Growlithe, use your take down attack!" I yelled, trying to take advantage of the opportunity.  
Growlithe began running at the Geodude, ready to tackle it at the last moment.  
"Geodude. Use your defense curl to block the dog!" the man screamed frantically.  
The Geodude was up off the ground and quickly covered its face, or rather head, with his arms. My Growlithe hit it hard and was knocked unconscious.  
"Damn it!" I yelled, "Growlithe, return!"  
"Good fight," the man said, extending his hand.  
I shook his and thanked him.  
"You need to work on you pokémon's defense. I noticed that his offence is great, but he was weak when it came to defending itself."  
"Thanks," I said, "I'll try to train him better."  
"Oh yeah, my name's Brian. And my fiancée here is Laura."  
"Fiancée?" Stork broke in, "Congratulations."  
"Thanks," Brian said and then whispered to us, "But she can really be a pain in the butt when it comes to pokémon battling."  
"I noticed," Stork said with a small laugh.  
That night, the four of us moved are tents closer to each other so we could talk together around a fire.  
As Stork roasted a marshmallow over the glowing fire, Brian told us their story. He said that they were traveling from Cinnabar Island, in hopes of finding all of the pokémon before they finally settled down and got married.   
***  
The next morning, Stork and I awoke to the sound of rustling outside of our tent. We unzipped the cover and stepped outside, only to discover that Brian and Sarah were packing up to leave.   
As I started to cut up some apple for breakfast, Stork began to put the tent away. Brian just finished packing his backpack when Sarah looked at us and pulled a gun out of her jacket. She then called out her Charmeleon.  
"What are you doing?" Stork cried out.  
"Ok, listen kid," Sarah started as Brian also pulled out a gun and pointed it at me, "We're not engaged or anything like that. My real name's Erin and this is Jake. We're members of Team Rocket, and we would really appreciate it if you would just give us your pokémon before we have to make holes in your bodies."  
"Are you crazy?" I yelled in horror.   
"Well, yeah," Brian said with a shrug, "But we really need to get some pokémon for the boss, so if you wouldn't mind, give us your pokémon."  
"No way!" Stork cried out. All of the sudden, the large Charmeleon swung his tail and hit Stork hard on his shoulder, knocking him down to the ground.   
Sarah then looked at me and said coolly, "Your pokémon, NOW."  
"Damn it," I said as I pulled the five pokéballs off of my belt. Stork started to struggle and get up, but collapsed with a sigh.  
"Your friend isn't getting up for awhile," Brian said with a sneer, "Let's hope you don't turn out the same way."  
"Screw you," I said without thinking. I was quickly greeted with a swift kick in the gut.  
"Ughhh," I mumbled as I rolled to the ground. I waited for the air to return to my lungs as I barely heard them talking.  
"Ok," Sarah said, "Grab that other kids pokéballs and-" I blacked out as their blurry images faded into blackness through my eyes.   
There was no chance on getting my pokémon back. In my unconsciousness, I began to dream about how I caught each one. How, about a month ago, I watched my egg hatch to reveal Togepy, my first pokémon. And how I battled the lone man in his cabin and won the trust of Growlithe. And then, I began to reminisce about how I first met Stork in the Viridian Forest, and when our journey began as we proudly hiked out of Viridian City. Soon, I found myself remembering the battles I have fought in this short period of time. How I battled Flint in Pewter for my very first badge, the Boulder Badge. And of all the trainers that I've fought, and won with. And then of the ones that I've lost to, Like Brian. Soon enough, I found myself dreaming of the traitors and how they had stolen my only pokémon, and some of my closest friends.  
But, light began to fill this dream world of memories as I slowly regained consciousness and a figure began to emerge in my eyes. As I awakened, the figured became clearer and Stork's face appeared, smiling down at me.  
"Hey, Austin," he said gently as he put a warm, damp towel on my forehead.  
"Where are we?" I asked slowly, still trying to realize I was in the real world now.  
"In a hospital. You've been out for about five hours."  
That brought my attention to how I got knocked out so I asked him in a dazed voice, "What about Team Rocket? What happened after I fell unconscious?"  
"Well, Brian and Sarah were collecting our pokéballs when Brian accidentally let out your Growlithe. Well, you can guess what happened after that. Soon, a fire was accidentally started when your Growlithe was roasting the traitors, and the authorities arrived when they saw the smoke. They found us, and we were both put into this hospital on the other side of the mountain."  
"What about my pokémon? Togepy, Growlithe..." I said as I sat up, now more worried about the whereabouts of my pokémon than of my aching head.  
"Don't worry," Stork comforted me, "They're in a pokémon center, getting some rest hopefully."  
I then lay down with a sigh. As a nurse gave me a glass of water, I continued to question Stork, "What about the Clefairy? Aren't you going to get one for the girl back at the visitors center?"  
"She's already got one. You see, that fire brought her attention to the mountain, also, so she quickly hiked up to the spot. Anyway, when she got there, there was a pokémon stuck in the flames. She used her Bulbasaur to pull it out safely, and now she has a brand new Clefairy."  
"Cool," I said, "but what about the Zubat and Paras? Didn't you want them?"  
"Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that," Stork said as he pulled out two pokéballs, "She gave them to me because she felt sorry for us. She said I would make a better trainer anyway. But I had to send my Kakuna to the professor in Viridian. I think it will do okay there."  
"Yeah, let's hope so," I said as I slowly laid my head on the soft pillow and opened my mind to the majestic dreams that would enter my head.   
Chapter 8  
The hospital was busy as different patients came in and out. Next to my bed was an elderly hiker who had broken his ankle while walking up a mountain, according to the nurse. He said that he was searching for new and rare pokémon.   
One evening, after Stork had left for a local hotel he was staying at, I started to talk to the man.  
"Hey," I started as I looked over at him, "have you ever found any rare pokémon before?"  
He closed his eyes and did not reply for several minutes. The silence was eerie as I stared and the man and waited for an answer. Finally, he opened his eyes, looked at me and started with a sigh, "Once, while hiking in the Mystic Mountains. I was only about 30 years old then, still young and full of energy. I had just resonantly received a Ph.D. in Pokémon Research. After days of hiking in the frigid tops of the mountains, I was desperately out of food and needed to get medical attention."  
He paused as he again closed his eyes and broke into a silence. Soon, he continued, "I was out of food, cold, as was on the brink of death. Until I saw something. Something so majestic, it can hardly be described. It flew over me as I stared at it and slowly fell unconscious because of the cold. In my dreams, I pictured an icy bird with a great wingspan, fly me to safety. When I woke, I found myself in a hospital bed, with a nurse tending to me. When I asked what had happened to me, she told me they found me on their doorsteps, frozen and stricken in frostbite."   
He again paused, but quickly continued, "She said it was a miracle that I survived, and that it was probably some other hiker that saved me. I didn't believe her, so I looked through my research books that evening. I didn't leave a page unviewed, and I was up all night. Finally, as the sun rose outside, I found it. It was said to be a mirage, but the book said some hikers had seen it before. As I looked at the picture, my mind jumped from flashback to flashback, as I tried so hard to remember the blurred image that had saved me. It was called an Articuno, one of three legendary birds. After years of searching for this bird, I never once again saw it. Ever since then, I have continued to look harder for rare pokémon and maybe even new species."  
I stared at the man and slowly recalled what he had said to me. All I could say was "Wow."  
"I thought you might like that story," he said to me with a slight smile, "All the researchers and colleagues I told about my awesome experience laughed at me. Oh, by the way, my name is Richard. Richard Grayson."  
"I'm Austin Ketchum, from Pallet town," I replied as we shook hands.  
"So, how did you come across that unfortunate bump on your head?" Mr. Grayson asked me, now looking at my bandages.   
"It's sorta a long story," I replied, "But, to make a long story short, it was form an incident with Team Rocket on the mountain."  
"Oh yes, Team Rocket," he said, "I've had some run-ins with them before. But I think you've heard enough about Team Rocket if they've put you into a hospital. So, are you training pokémon?"  
"Yep. I've been on the road for a couple weeks now, gathering pokémon with my friend Stork. He was the guy in here earlier today."  
"Oh yes. He's a nice young lad. I talked to him and he told me he wanted to become a great pokémon collector."  
"Yeah, that's Stork," I said, "He's always on the watch for new pokémon."  
"Well, I believe that he might want to meat a friend of mine. His name is Bill, and he's currently manning a lighthouse on the coast. As a matter of fact, I believe that it's only about 30 miles from this hospital. He, like me, is looking for new pokémon and rare ones. I think he recently had an encounter with a giant one that he couldn't identify. Why don't you ask Stork tomorrow if he'd like to meet Bill?"  
"Sure, it would be great if we could come with you," I said excitedly.  
Soon, we both fell tired and went to sleep.  
***  
"It would be great!" Stork exclaimed.  
It was the next morning and we were all eating our breakfast. Apparently, Stork really wanted to go and meet Bill.  
"Splendid!" Richard exclaimed, "We'll leave tomorrow, when I can get this wretched cast off of my foot."  
"Great!" I exclaimed as I finished the last of my toast. I then looked at Stork and asked, "Hey Stork, have you been looking after Togepi and everyone?"  
"Yep," he replied as he pulled out a knapsack with my pokéballs, and then let out Togepi.   
"Brreeeeeee!" the baby pokémon exclaimed as he hopped onto my lap.  
"What the devil is that?" Mr. Grayson said wide-eyed, "I've never seen this pokémon before! This is a breakthrough!"  
"What?" I asked, confused, "I didn't know he was rare or anything."  
"Togepi, you call him. I heard that a professor in Pallet had found an uncharted egg, but I never knew-"  
"Oh, Professor Oak?" I asked, "Yep, he gave me an egg to use as my starting pokémon because he didn't have any live pokémon anymore. So, this thing is rare?"  
"It's a brand new specie!" he yelled in a enthusiastic voice, "I can't believe you have one! Why, I could spend a lifetime researching this one pokémon!"  
"Brrreeeee!" Togepi yelled as he made a lung for some of my toast. He started to eat some as Mr. Grayson picked him up.  
"Has he always been in this shell?" he asked me.  
"Yep, ever since he first hatched." I replied.  
"Amazing," the professor said under his breath. "Well, I suppose you want your pokémon back. Here you go," he said as he handed me back Togepi.  
We ate lunch together that day and dinner at night, and Stork and I listened all day as Richard talked about his travels and encounters. He even told us how he caught his only pokémon, Pidgeot. When he first encountered it, it was only a Pidgey, but he had worked it up until it evolved. Apparently, he was just a child when he found it, but he said that he had only a stick and a pokéball and caught it.   
As I went to bed that night, I dreamed about Grayson's journeys, and pictured myself being carried to safety by that Articuno, and myself trying to catch that Pidgey. They were all happy dreams.  
***  
Mr. Grayson hopped down the steps of the hospital with his bags with the help of the nurse. I carried his bags, and Stork was just finishing packing some bags away in Mr. Grayson's jeep. It was mid-morning, and I had had a great night of sleep and dreams.   
We finally pulled out of the hospital and started down towards the base of Mt. Moon at around noon. It would take only an hour to get to the coast and the lighthouse. Grayson said he had called ahead and told us that Bill would be happy to see us. I could tell that Stork was restless because he kept shifting his position and looking for the coast.   
Soon enough, the slight outline of the lighthouse could be seen on the horizon. When the jeep finally pulled up, a man with a slight British accent and a huge smile on his face happily confronted us.  
"Welcome!" he exclaimed. "Good to see you again, Richard. It's been awhile."  
"That it has," Mr. Grayson replied as the shook hands.  
"So, boys," Bill started as he looked at us, "I've heard that you two are trainers."  
Stork replied, "Yeah, we are. Except I want to own all of the pokémon and Austin here just wants to become the best trainer in the world."  
"Oh, really?" Bill said with a slight grin, "Well, Stork. If you want to own all of the pokémon, then you have to know all of the pokémon. That's what I do. I research pokémon and try to find new species."  
Stork was suddenly intrigued as he replied, "Wow. So I have to know about all of the pokémon? But being a researcher sounds pretty fun."  
"Oh, yes, it is!" Bill replied enthusiastically, "Just the thrill of finding new pokémon specie is great! Why, Stork, why don't I show you the inside of the lighthouse? I have a research center where we can study different pokémon."  
Stork then asked, now intent on Bill, "Have you ever found any rare pokémon before, Bill?"  
"Why, yes! It was just last year that I met a giant pokémon..."  
And so Bill continued on a story about his run-in with this rare pokémon. I sort of dazed off as we entered the lighthouse and I saw the vast array of pokémon pictures lining the walls. I stared in awe, along with Stork and Mr. Grayson, at the pictures. But after looking, I never once saw a picture of Togepi.   
"Hey, Bill," I started, "Where's the picture of Togepi?"  
"Togepi? Oh, yes. I believe Professor Oak told me that he gave you a rare pokémon egg. May I see this 'Togepi'?"  
"Sure," I said as I pulled out the pokéball and sent Togepi out. When he appeared he was still sleeping.  
Bill picked up the baby pokémon and started to examine it. "Astounding," he said, "So, you hatched this yourself, Austin?"  
"Yep, all by myself."  
"Do you mind if I study it in the lab for a couple minutes? Why, we could get some great info for the pokédex!"  
"It's ok," I said as I followed Bill into the lab, along with Stork.  
Mr. Grayson then said, "I'm going to go finish some work from awhile back. Have fun, boys!"  
"Bye, Mr. Grayson! Thanks for all your great stories!" I said as I turned around and continued to follow Bill into the room.  
The lab was extremely cool. There were posters with pictures of pokémon lining the walls, and there was even a sleeping pokémon in the corner. I pointed my pokédex at it:  
LICKITUNG: A tongue pokémon. Lickitung are known to have tongues as long as long as two feet  
"Oh, yes," Bill said as he noticed me looking at the pink pokémon, "that's a pokémon I just recently caught. He was in my garden so I decided to catch him. He's just tired after working for me today."  
"Cool, I said, now directing myself back to Bill.  
"Ok, Togepi," Bill started as he picked up my pokémon, "Why don't we get some measures?"  
He then began to measure the width of Togepi's shell and his height, along with his weight. I could hear him slowly mutter numbers under his breath as he recorded them, "That's three point five pounds..."   
My Togepi laughed as the measuring tape tickled his head and when Bill picked him up. Soon, Bill put Togepi in a small area with grass in it and began to take notes on his behavior. I watched silently for awhile, but soon began to find interest in looking in Bill's logbook, which also had pictures of pokémon he had encountered. All this while, Stork was looking at the Lickitung and softly stroking it.   
Soon enough, Bill was finished as he said to me, "All done, Austin. Thank you for letting me borrow this wonderful little creature. I think the data I took will come in handy in the next pokédex upgrade."  
"No Problem, Bill," I said as I replaced the log and took back Togepi. He was tired, so I returned him to his pokéball where he could sleep silently.   
Bill then said that he had to go finish some other boring research, and that we were free to roam the area and the nearby beaches. Stork and I happily agreed as we grabbed our things and walked a small distance to the beach.  
It was the middle of the afternoon by the time we reached the beach and set our bags down. Stork and I released all ten of our pokémon. My Poliwag headed straight for the water, but my Oddish and Growlithe began to play with each other. Togepi, on the other hand, hung out on my lap as I just sat and watched the playing pokémon. Stork's Pidgey enjoyed flying over the sea, along with his Butterfree, whose wings sparkled in the sunlight. His Eevee and Paras soon joined Growlithe and Oddish's small game of "tag" also.   
Stork and I laughed at our pokémon as they ran and jumped, and just took a well-deserved break. It was also relaxing for us, getting away from the busy cities and people. As I looked out onto the horizon, I noticed shapes going in and out of the water. They were like beautiful sea dragons, but I thought they might just be mirages. If they were pokémon, though, my pokédex wouldn't be able to identify them, for they were too far away.  
We watched the sun eventually set as we headed in with our tired pokémon. When we finally reached the lighthouse, we found Bill's chef had prepared a delicious meal.   
A few days passed as we went about our daily chores of helping Bill with research and just exploring the area. We learned a lot about Bill and what he did as a pokémon researcher, and Stork was always very intent on what he said. Mr. Grayson occasionally returned, coming from his local cottage only a few miles away. He and Bill would talk about their studies over dinner, while Stork and I just listened to them.   
One night after dinner, we headed to bed into an extra bedroom and got ready to go to bed just like every other night. I started to talk to Stork as we climbed into bed, "Hey, Stork. We should probably leave tomorrow before noon, so we can reach the boat that will go to Cerulean in time."  
Stork was mysteriously silent for a few seconds, and then replied, "Um, Austin? I don't think I'll be going with you to Cerulean."  
"What?!" I yelled as I shot straight up from bed.   
"Well, I feel that this is the place for me, Austin. I belong here. It's the perfect place for me to learn about pokémon, so I can become a great pokémon researcher."  
I was almost angry as I talked back to him, "Since when have you wanted to become a pokémon researcher?"  
He replied quickly, "In the past couple of days, Bill has taught me so much about pokémon. He has gotten me interested and now I want to follow in his footsteps and become a great pokémon researcher. Bill told me that I could be his student for a couple years. I'm sorry, Austin, but I think I have to do this."  
"You don't have to do anything!" I yelled. I was furious that he would even consider leaving our friendship and me to study pokémon.  
"Yes, I do," Stork said calmly, "Austin, this is a chance of a lifetime, and I want to take it. I've already called my parents and they said it would be fine. I think it's best for me."  
That's when my anger quickly ceased. I then realized how stubborn I was being and that it would be best for him.  
"I'm sorry, Stork. I've only known you for a couple weeks now, but we have been through so much together. I just don't want to go on without you. But it is your choice, and I hope you become a great researcher someday."  
"Thanks for understanding, Austin. It means a lot to me. Plus you can always write to me and tell me what's going on. Anyway, it's time to get to sleep. You've got to catch that boat tomorrow and I have to start my training."   
It was hard for me to sleep that night, knowing that it would probably be the last one I ever spent with Stork. We had only been together for about a month, but we had formed such a close relationship, that it would be hard for me tomorrow to have to say goodbye.  
***  
I woke up at 6:00 the next morning, and then quickly packed my bags and brought them downstairs. Stork was already eating breakfast and was petting Lickitung, now awake and happy.  
"Good morning, Austin," Stork said cheerfully. I wondered why he wasn't as depressed as I was that we were separating. I assumed that it was because he just wanted to stay off of the topic.   
I ate breakfast and fed my pokémon as well, and then went outside, where Bill and Stork were observing a pokémon in the distance. I followed their glances and found that they were looking at the same creatures I had seen a couple days ago.  
"Astonishing," Bill gaped, as he looked through a pair of binoculars, "Simply amazing."  
"What are they?" I asked curiously.  
Stork proudly answered my question, "We think that they are a pair of Dragonairs, which are extremely rare."  
I looked back out to see and saw their sleek bodies jumping in and out of the water. Soon, the water dragons disappeared and we continued about our business. Mr. Grayson came by after a couple of minutes, to wish me farewell on the boat. He offered to drive us all to the dock, and we gladly accepted.  
On the way to the boat docks (located in a small village called Harborville), it was completely silent. I think the fact that Stork and I might never see each other again was finally taking effect on him as he blankly stared out his window at the sea. I was also silent, but knew that I would have to go on alone and wihtout him.  
After an eternity, we reached the docks and I began to unload my bags, with the help of the other two. We loaded them onto the small ferry, and then I looked back at Stork. He was looking down at the ground, but then looked back up at me, and held out his hand. He dropped a pokéball into my ball into my palm.  
"Stork, I-" I tried to say, but he interrupted me.   
"That's my Butterfree. Please take care of it, Austin, because I know you will."  
"But Stork. This was the first pokémon you ever caught! Plus, it's really rare because it's blue!"  
"Please take it, Austin. It would mean so much to me if I knew that you were taking care of it for me, training it to become strong."  
"Thanks, Stork," I said as I quickly hugged him and then put the pokéball away.   
"Goodbye, Austin," Stork said, trying to hide a tear, "Make sure to write and tell me how many trainers you've beaten!"  
I softly laughed, but also tried to hide back a tear. "Goodbye, Stork." With that, I turned around and boarded the boat. I looked back and saw Stork lower his head as Bill put his hand on his shoulder. Stork was gently shaking as the boat left and his figure became smaller and smaller. Finally, he was no more than a speck as the boat exited the harbor and headed for Cerulean City.  
Chapter 9  
I sat in my small bunker and looked out the window at the waves. They were glimmering in the moonlight, causing a surreal effect. But I wasn't thinking about the waves. It had been only a couple hours since I had left Stork at the pier, and already I missed him.   
Soon, a man in a blue uniform knocked on my door, but entered before I could reply.  
"Ticket please," said the man as he opened a small envelope. I reached into my pocket and took out the ticket. I then handed to him without a word.  
After he had taken my ticket, he looked at me and asked in a slightly British accent, "Why the glum face? If it's sea-sickness, there are special bags in that pocket over-"  
I cut him off before he could show me where the "Barf Bags" were, "Umm, no. It's not that. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. In fact, I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go to sleep now."  
"Oh, ok," said the man with a confused look. He knew there was something bugging me, but he didn't bother to question it as he stepped out of my room and closed the door.   
I wasn't tired, I just wanted to be alone. I lay down on my bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. After several minutes of mindless pondering, my knapsack on the table adjacent to my bed started to shake. A red beam shot out from inside and hit the floor, soon forming the shape of Togepi.   
"Breee!" he said as he waddled over to his empty food bowl and picked it up. He started shaking it up and down in an irritated manner.   
"Are you hungry?" I asked as I rose from my bed and picked him and his bowl up.  
"Bree! Tokay!" he yelled happily.  
I set him down on the table and went into my knapsack, where I pulled out a paper bag full of food balls. I poured them into the bowl, and he began to munch on them with a grin on his face.   
"Oh yeah," I said as I again reached into my bag and pulled out a plastic bag with fresh lettuce in it, "I almost forgot! Here's some lettuce to munch on too!"   
I handed him a leaf of it and he immediately took it from me and dropped all of the other food that he was in the middle of eating. As he nibbled on it, I fed my other four pokémon their proper foods.  
After "dinner," I realized that I was now hungry, so I stepped out onto the ship in search of a restaurant of some sort. While walking down the side of the boat, there were many people looking out at the moon and I even saw some brushing their pokémon's hair or feeding them. As I walked by the many people, I soon found what I was looking for. I spotted a restaurant called "Rydon's Restaurant," and I quickly entered.  
After ordering a soda and a hamburger, I sat at a small table to wait for my food to come. I was next to a window facing the deck of the ship, and I watched many people pass by. Before long, a young boy entered. He looked to be about five or six, so I felt it my duty to invite him over to my table where he could sit with someone.   
"Hey, over here." I said as I motioned to the boy to come over. He came over and sat down across from me.  
"Hi," he said shyly.  
"Hi," I then said, extending my hand, "My name's Austin."  
He shook it and then replied, "I'm Robbie."  
"Nice to meet you, Robbie," I said with a smile, "So, where are your parents?"  
He replied, not as shy as he was before, "They're in Cerulean. I was staying with my grandparents in Harborsville for a couple weeks. Now I'm on my way back."  
"That sounds like fun. I'm on a pokémon journey, and Cerulean is my next stop to get a gym badge."  
His eyes suddenly glowed as he looked up at me, "Really? I love pokémon!"  
"Oh you do?" I asked, surprised by his sudden change in attitude.  
"Yeah!" he started, still as excited as before, "I've always wanted to become a trainer, but my parents won't let me. They think it's too dangerous to go out there alone. But my grandpa doesn't think that's fair, so he gave me a pokémon."  
"Won't your parents be mad?" I asked, trying to keep up the conversation.  
"Nah. My grandparents already told them. I haven't used it yet, though. And I don't know what kind it is. Do you wanna see it?"  
"How about after dinner?" I asked him, "Would you like anything?"  
"Can I get a milkshake?" he asked politely.  
"Sure," I said, "We'll get you one when the waiter comes by."  
After a short period of time, the waiter came with my hamburger and soda. I ordered Robbie a shake, and we talked about his parents and life while we ate.   
After paying the bill and leaving the restaurant, Robbie guided me towards a large room located below the deck. As I walked towards the room, I heard cries of people inside, and then the sounds of various pokémon.  
Robbie talked to me as we entered, "I've been hanging out in here all afternoon. It's a place where trainers can battle and show off their pokémon.   
"Wow," I said in astonishment as I looked at all of the pokémon that were jumping, running, and doing different attacks.   
Robbie pulled out a single pokéball and threw it on the ground.   
"Here's the pokémon that was given to me," he said as the red glow formed the shape of a pokémon.  
"Saaaanddslash!" it cried as it looked at us. I pulled out my pokédex and pointed it at the large rodent:  
SANDSLASH: A mole pokémon. Sandslash are known for their ability to quickly dig underground and attack their opponents from behind. Trainers should beware of their sharp teeth and claws  
"Cool," Robbie said as he approached his pokémon. He was about the same height as the Sandslash, but the pokémon looked a lot more powerful.  
"Hey," Robbie said as he looked back at me, "Do you want to battle?"  
"Ok, but be aware that this is your first battle and you might not win."  
"That's fine," he replied as he stepped into the proper area to prepare for battle.   
"Go, Poliwag!" I yelled as the tadpole pokémon appeared in the ring.   
"Ok, go Sandslash!"  
The Sandslash didn't even respond to the order. It simply started scratching it's leg.   
"What's going on?" Robbie asked, confused.  
"I don't know, Robbie. Try to get it over here again."  
"C'mon, Sandslash!" he again yelled. This time, the pokémon looked up and slowly walked over to the rink, but it still didn't appear to be that interested in what was going on.  
"Ok, Robbie, you go first."  
"Fine. Sandslash, bite his pokémon!"  
Again, the Sandslash didn't obey orders.  
"Umm," I said, just as confused as Robbie, "How about I go first? Maybe that will get Sandslash into the fight."  
"Ok," Robbie complied.  
"Poliwag, give it a bubble attack!"  
Poliwag began to shoot bubbles out of it's mouth. When they hit the Sandslash and poured water over him, he didn't appear too happy.  
"Saaannnnddslash!" he screamed as he sprinted towards my Poliwag. He quickly curled into a ball and knocked the tadpole back. Poliwag flew into the air, and hit the ground hard.  
"Pollii..." it muttered.  
"Looks like you won," I said with a big smile.  
"Way to go, Sandsl-huh?" Robbie said as the Sandslash again started to run fast towards Poliwag.   
"Sandslash, stop!" Robbie yelled. The pokémon didn't stop though. If I didn't do something, Poliwag would be in big trouble.  
"Poliwag, return!" I yelled over the cries of Robbie. The red glow shot out and sucked Poliwag back in, just before Sandslash hit it. Instead, Sandslash hit the wall and fell onto the ground, stunned.   
"Sandslash, return!" yelled Robbie as he called back his pokémon.  
"What happened?" he asked me as we walked to the stands on the side of the room.   
"I don't know," I said, "but maybe my pokédex does." I opened it up and the screen faded on:  
Sometimes, pokémon will disobey their trainers if they feel that their trainer is not worthy of owning them. Other known factors are if the pokémon feels hurt or rejected  
"Well," I started, "It's definitely not rejected or hurt."  
"Then that means that I'm not 'honorable' enough?"  
"Maybe. What did your grandfather use him for?"  
Robbie replied, "Grandpa told me that Sandshrew helped him win many battles, and that it evolved while he was fighting the Elite Four. He and it were really close, and he trained it well."  
"Let's see if my pokédex has any more information about this," I said as I again pulled it out again:   
The main reason why a pokémon would consider it's owner unworthy is if it's trainer does not have enough experience. Gym badges are a good way to earn experience for beginning trainers  
"So then I just have to get some gym badges?" Robbie asked me as I snapped shut my pokédex.  
"I guess so," I replied, "Hey, I'm heading to Cerulean Gym. Do you want to tag along and try to get a badge there?"  
"Sure!" Robbie said with the same excitement that he showed in the restaurant.   
After making sure Robbie got to his room for the night, I walked over to mine while others did the same. By the time I reached the bunker, it was almost midnight. I got ready for bed, and then fell asleep quickly after a busy day. It was just this morning that I had been at Bill's lighthouse. And now I was without Stork. I didn't know how I would become a great pokémon trainer without him. He was the reason that I won the Boulder Badge. He gave me the information I needed to win battles. How am I going to get the Cascade Badge now? These memories infested my dreams that night, as I remembered the short time spent with Stork, and how he brightened our journey.   
***  
As the morning sun arose over the horizon, the sleeping Cerulean brightened up. By the morning, the boat had reached Cerulean, and we would unload in an hour.   
After breakfast, I quickly got dressed, cleaned up my bunker and left it so I could get to Robbie before the boat docked. When I knocked on his cabin door, there was no reply.  
"Hello?" I said, still knocking on the door, "Robbie, are you in there?"  
After a few seconds of rustling, a faint and dreary voice replied, "What? Is it morning already?"  
"Hurry up, Robbie!" I said loudly, "The boat docks in thirty minutes!"  
This sparked his attention as the rustling grew louder and louder. After several minutes of this, he came out of the door, placing his hat on his head and rubbing his eyes.  
"Ok, Austin. Let's go," he then said.   
After unloading our items onto the pier, we packed everything up and started into the small city. It was a little bigger than Pewter, but not by much. There were cars going by and businessmen walking towards their buildings.   
Robbie and I soon found a pokécenter where we placed our pokémon for an hour or so. In the meantime, we walked through the business section of the city, where we found a small diner to eat breakfast in. It was weird not having Stork sitting across from me, and I tried to block the fact that he was gone out of my mind. I had to move on.   
Robbie could see my depression in the way I stared blankly at my pancakes and how I just didn't show any emotion. He knew there was something wrong, but he also knew better than to get into my personal affairs.  
At noon, after doing a little shopping and refreshing my supplies (antidotes, potions, and pokéballs), we walked over to the pokécenter again to pick up our pokémon. My Togepi was awake when I arrived, and was playing happily with one of the local Chansies.   
"Breee!" he yelled happily, as he was tossed into the air and then caught by the pink, oval-shaped Chansey. Once he spotted me, though, he hopped onto the ground and quickly waddled over to me with a happy grin. I picked him up and then looked at Nurse Joy.  
"You're pokémon are healed," she said as she handed me a small bill. I handed her my pokémon license, which has my ID number on it. After the computer processes the number, the bill goes straight into my account, which my parents pay off monthly.   
"Oh," I said before she finished typing in the amount of money, "Could you charge the cost of healing the Sandslash in there too?"   
"Certainly."  
"Gee," Robbie said to me, "You didn't have to do that."  
"Don't worry about it," I said, "It's hardly any money to heal one pokémon."  
"Ok, thanks." He said as he reached up to the counter and picked up his pokéball.   
With our pokémon fully healed, we walked to the town center, where the pokémon gym was located. On the outside of the gym, there was a sign listing "Show Times." This confused me as I walked in, only to hear cheering in the inside. Robbie and I walked in, astonished by the hundreds of people lining the bleachers around a large pool of water. In the middle, three girls in their teens were jumping in and out of the water, and doing many tricks beneath it also. We found some seats and sat down, waiting for the show to be over so we could get some answers.   
About twenty minutes later, the show ended and the people flocked out. Robbie and I were left alone in the open of this vast gym. We headed down he stairs that led to the base floor of the gym, where we found the three girls drying off.  
"Uh-oh," one said, looking at the other two, "Looks like trainers."  
"Yep," the other two agreed.  
"Yeah, we're trainers," I said, stepping forward, "And we're here to challenge the gym leaders for the Cascade badge! Umm, do you know where they are?"  
"Right here, silly!" the one with red hair said.  
Robbie was astonished, "YOU guys are the gym leaders?"  
"Of course we are! We're the Sensational Sisters!" another with blue hair said.   
"Ok, fine!" I said, "Then we challenge you three!"  
"Suit yourself," the red-haired one said, "Which one of you will go first?"  
"Robbie here will," I said, volunteering him. I then whispered to him, "Don't worry, Robbie. Just give it all you got!"  
"Easy for you to say," he spoke softly, "You're not going first."  
"Good luck!" I said, pushing him forward.   
After their places were set on the pool, I took a seat in the bleachers. I was close enough to observe the fight, so I could find out what pokémon the sisters were using.   
Robbie looked determined as he called out his Sandslash, "Go, Sandslash!"  
The yellow-haired sister would go with her pokémon next, "Go, Seaking!"  
I pointed my pokédex at the spotted fish, hoping it would be able to get a clear image of it:  
Searching, please hold...it said as I waited. Soon enough, it found it:  
SEAKING: A fish pokémon. Seaking, the evolution of GOLDEEN, are known for their horns, that may cause sever damage to their enemies  
I didn't know if Robbie could win this one after that message.  
"Ok, Seaking! Give that Sandslash a tackle!"  
"Seaking, king" it said is it dived deep down into the water and then jumped quickly out of the water. It hit the unsuspecting Sandslash (who happened to be cleaning itself) hard, and the large rodent fell hard onto it's platform.   
"Saaaannddslash!" it screamed in pain, after having the wind knocked out of it. It charged towards the water and then curled into a spiny ball. While going at its top speed, it whirled across the water, causing a wave to form behind it. In that wave, I could spot the confused Seaking at the top.   
"Seakiiing!" it cried in a scared voice from about twenty feet above the water.   
I no time, Sandslash reached the edge of the pool and hopped out. From there, it sprinted out of the way of the gigantic wave, which slammed onto the hard pavement. Seaking slammed down with it, and when the water cleared, I could see the badly injured fish pokémon flopping up and down.  
"Seaking!" the girl cried as she jumped into the water and began swimming to it. But at the same time, the Sandslash was rearing up for another attack.  
"Robbie," I screamed as I noticed it, "Your Sandslash! Don't let it attack the Seaking again!"  
Immediately he noticed, and he yelled, "Sandslash, stop!" But it didn't obey. It continued to run right at the beached Seaking.   
Robbie was almost in tears as he cried out, "Stop, Sandslash!" But yet again, the Sandslash didn't listen. And then, Robbie said something that hit the mark, "If Grandpa was here, you wouldn't do this!"  
The Sandslash stopped in its tracks and looked at Robbie. I noticed a sudden change in emotion as he sat down compliantly and allowed itself to be sucked into the small pokéball.  
All of us were stunned at the current events. The blonde sister was hugging her Seaking as she returned it to its pokéball. She then turned to Robbie and said, "Looks like you won. Here's the Cascade Badge." She tossed it into the air, and it glimmered as it flew to Robbie and then landed in his waiting palms!  
"Yes!" he cried as he jumped into the air. He then attached the blue badge to his jacket.  
The Sensational Sister he had beaten congratulated him as she said, "That's one strong pokémon you have there. Maybe my Seaking will become that strong someday."  
"Thanks," Robbie said, as his cheeks grew red.  
The blue-haired sister then broke into their conversation, "Ok," she started, "that's enough of that. Who's challenging me?"  
I realized it was my turn for action, so I stepped forward, "I am!"  
We took our places on the platforms above the water as she started, "We'll each use two pokémon! If it's tied, we'll go into a third, final match!"  
"Ok!" I said as I pulled out my first pokéball, "Go, Butterfree!" The blue pokémon emerged from the pokéball.   
My opponent then replied, "Go, Kingler!"  
I pointed my pokédex at the large crab pokémon:   
KINGLER: A crab pokémon. The evolution of KRABBY, Kingler are known for their large pincer. With these pincers, they perform their special attack, GUILLOTINE   
"Ok, Butterfree!" I yelled, "Use your stun spore attack!"  
The butterfly proceeded to shake yellow powder on the crab, but the blue-haired girl had already yelled out a counter-attack, "Dodge the powder Kingler!" As the crab dodged the falling powder, she yelled out the next attack, "Now tackle it!" The Kingler jumped high into the air, and just when it was level with the Butterfree, it slammed it down towards the water. They fell, with my Butterfree on the bottom. Soon enough, the Kingler slammed it into the water, soaking Butterfree's wings. I could see my pokémon struggling to fly, but it just couldn't do it.  
"Butterfree, return!" I yelled as the red beam shot from the pokéball and surrounded Butterfree.  
"Good job, Kingler!" the girl said, "Return! Go, Lapras!"  
I again pointed my pokédex at her pokémon:  
LAPRAS: These rare pokémon are over-hunted, causing them to be very valuable possessions. Lapras are often used as ferries to transport people across the water  
"Ok," I said as I pulled out another pokéball, "Go, Poliwag!"  
The girl hid a giggle as she commanded the next move, "Lapras, give it an ice beam!"  
The Lapras' horn began to glow as bright colors began to surround it. And then, out of nowhere, a bright, fluorescent blue beam shot out and knocked my Poliwag back about ten feet. It was all over in a matter of seconds.  
"Poliwag!" I screamed as I ran over to it.  
It said with a groan, "Polliiwaggg."  
"Return, Poliwag," I said with a small sigh, as I then stood up and looked at the girl, "Look's like you win."  
"It's ok," she said as she saw my dreary face, "You can always come and challenge me again!"  
"And lose again?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm.  
"It's not your pokémon that caused you to lose. It's your choice of pokémon that made you lose," said the red-haired sister, now chiming into our conversation, "Against Kingler, you should have used a grass pokémon, because grass is strong against water. And against that Lapras, you should have used a fire pokémon. Fire pokémon are strong against ice."  
She was right. I had screwed up and it might cause me the Cascade Badge. It then occurred to me. Stork always told me what pokémon I should use. Without him, I would never win a battle. From now on, I'll have to figure these things out myself.  
Without even saying goodbye, I walked out with a depressed face. Robbie soon caught up, and tried to comfort me, "Don't worry, Austin! That Lapras was strong, and you know it. Just come back later and challenge her again! If you use the right pokémon, you're sure to win!"  
This helped a little, but I was still tired of all of it. I again went to the pokécenter and put Poliwag and Butterfree in it. While they were healing, Robbie and I walked to his house, where I would meet his parents.  
He opened the door as he said, "Come on in. My parents should be home." He then called out into the house, "Mom? Dad? Are you guys here?"  
"Is that you, Robert?" a voice replied from the other room.  
He replied, "Yeah, it's me mom." A woman that looked a little younger than my mother came running out and hugged Robbie closely.   
"I'm so glad you're back!" she said, followed by, "Ouch!"  
"What is it, mom?" Robbie asked as she stepped away from him.  
"Something on your jacket pricked-" she stopped as she looked at the small, blue badge on Robbie's jacket, "Oh no. You didn't"   
"But mom," Robbie said in a slightly whining voice, "You know this is what I want to do."  
I realized that this was a family matter, so I excused myself and stepped outside. I then sat on a bench that was across the street from their house. After waiting for a little while, I got bored, so I pulled out my pokédex to see if there was anything else it could do. I found a green button that I had never pressed before, so I did. On the screen, a chart appeared. My pokédex said:  
BATTLE CHART: This chart is used to aid trainers in their pokémon battles. It explains the fifteen different types of pokémon, and their strengths and weaknesses  
"What?" I asked myself in astonishment, "I didn't know this thing was here!"  
After my new "revelation," my spirits rose as I realized what this meant. I wouldn't need Stork to explain any of this now that I actually had a chart. Soon, Robbie stepped out of the house with his mother and father. He had on a bigger knapsack and a huge smile on his face. I knew immediately that he had won the battle with his parents, and that he would be allowed his pokémon training license.  
As he walked towards me, he waved goodbye to his parents. His father was looking very proud of his son, and his mother was in tears.   
"Way to go!" I said to Robbie as we were away from his house, "Now you need to get your license and pokéballs."  
"I know," he replied, "I need to stop by at the Cerulean lab to pick up the stuff. And then I'm going to head south towards Pewter so I can get the Boulder Badge.   
"So then I guess this is goodbye," I said, not depressed, but proud of Robbie.  
"Yep," he said to me, "But maybe we'll see each other later on or something."   
"Maybe," I then replied as my mind began to wander. I started to think about how Stork and I had had the same goodbye, the same "Maybe we'll see each other later." Robbie then broke in.  
"Ok, later Austin," he said as he began walking through downtown.  
"Later Robbie," I said as I then turned away and headed back to the pokécenter.   
After picking up Poliwag and Butterfree, I found a hotel near the gym, where I out all of my stuff. After an early dinner, I gathered my pokémon and pokédex and walked out the door. After coming onto the street, I turned right and headed straight to the gym. It was dark now, and there were many lights from the city brightening the sky.   
When I walked into the gym, the Sensational Sisters were putting on another show. Except this time, the roof of the gym was open, allowing the moonlight to pour in. There were also lights inside the pool, making the turquoise water glow brighter. It was very majestic looking at the pool, and I, along with the crowd, was entranced.  
I again took a seat to wait for the show to be over, and when it was, I approached the sisters again. They knew I was here to challenge them again, and the blue-haired one stepped forward, "Do you want to challenge me again?" she asked.  
"Yes," I replied, "and this time I'm ready!"  
"Ok," she said, "then let's go!"  
After taking our places on the platforms, a lot of the people leaving noticed that there was going to be a pokémon fight, so they took their seats yet again.  
"Oh, great," I muttered to myself, "Hundreds of people watching me battle. There's no pressure there."  
Once the crowd had taken their seats, an announcer spoke, "Pokémon battle. The fight is between gym leader Aurora, and trainer Austin Ketchum. Each will use two pokémon and a third if necessary. Trainers, start your battle!"  
Aurora yelled, "Go, Seadra!"  
I pointed my pokédex at this one:  
SEADRA: A water pokémon. This pokémon-  
I shut the pokédex and said quietly, "That's all I needed to know. Go, Oddish!"  
My blue pokémon came out with a battle face on, and he looked determined to win.   
"Oddish!"   
Aurora could tell that I had been studying, but nevertheless, she commanded her pokémon it's move, "Seadra, give it a tackle!"  
I quickly yelled to my Oddish, "Dodge!" It dodged quickly, and the Seadra had not time to respond. It hit the platform hard and I yelled the next move, "Sleep powder, Oddish!" Oddish's leaves began to shake as a red powder surrounded the Seadra. The Seadra's eyes closed slowly, and soon, it was asleep.  
"Darn!" Aurora said as she called her seahorse back in, "Look's like you know what you're doing. Go, Seel!"  
I knew that this pokémon was ice, but I didn't want to tire my Growlithe down in case we had a third match and she sent out her Lapras. I yelled, "Go, Togepi!"   
"Breee!" it said as its image formed from the red light.  
"Seel, give it your bite attack!"  
The Seel hopped into the water and began swimming towards Togepi. It hopped out of the water before I could yell a command, and bit Togepi.  
"BREEE!" Togepi screamed out.   
"Togepi!" I yelled, "Try to get out of it's jaw!" Togepi struggled hard, and got out, but was very dazed. "Good job, Togepi! Use your pound attack!"  
Togepi shook its head to get rid of the dizziness and the jumped high into the air. Before the Seel could respond, it was hit hard on the head.  
"Seel, seel," is cried as it was flattened to the platform.  
"Seel!" Aurora yelled, "Are you ok?"  
"Seel!" it responded, shaking its head.  
Aurora then told it its next move, "Body slam!"  
The Seel again dove into the water, leaving my Togepi alone on the platform. And then, out of nowhere, the Seel jumped out of the water and was high above Togepi. The crowd "Ohhed" and "Ahhhhed" at the Seel. Then, the Seel started falling, belly first, and it slammed down on Togepi!  
Togepi screamed out, "Breee!"  
I knew that I had lost that match, so I yelled, "Togepi return!"  
We had come down to a last match. Whoever won this match won the battle. I had to pick my pokémon wisely on this one.  
Aurora pulled out one last pokéball after she had returned Seel, "Go, Lapras! Let's beat him again!" With those words, I realized that she was becoming a lot more competitive than she was in our last battle.   
"Ok!" I yelled, "Go, Growlithe!"  
The crowd was thrilled over this match, and all of them were at the edge of their seats. My Growlithe looked extremely determined to win this one.  
"Grrrr," he growled under his breath.  
"Ok," I said, "Use your flamethrower attack!"  
A huge burst of fire emerged from his mouth and surrounded the Lapras. When the fire ceased, Lapras was burned, but was still in the battle.   
"Lapras, give it you ice beam attack!" Aurora yelled.  
Again, the horn on the Lapras began to glow, until the deadly blue beam shot out towards Growlithe.  
"Growlithe!" I yelled, "Dodge the beam!" He tried to get out of the way, but he didn't make it all of the way. The beam singed his leg, causing him to yip loudly.   
"Are you ok, Growlithe?" I asked him. He nodded his head, despite the excruciating pain in his leg. "Ok, then," I said, "Use your fire blast!"  
Growlithe began to growl in a deep, low voice, and small flames started to emerge from his mouth. As his growl grew louder, the flames grew bigger, until finally a ear-splitting roar shook the stadium and flames surrounded the entire pool. When they stopped, a badly burnt and fainted Lapras was left floating on the water.  
"Lapras!" Aurora cried, "Return!" The beam sucked the blue creature in, and I was gleaming with pride.   
"Way to go, Growlithe!" I said as I pet him on the head, "We did it!"  
I then noticed his freezer-burnt leg, and I pulled out a freezing heal antidote. As I poured it over his leg, he tried to hold back his cries.  
"It's ok," I said, trying to comfort him, "It will help it heal."  
After I had returned Growlithe to his pokéball until I could get him to the pokécenter, I stood up and faced Aurora.   
"Good job," she said, "You have won the Cascade Badge."  
The crowd began to cheer as I was handed the badge, and I was the proudest that I had ever been in my life. I attached the badge inside my wallet, where I also kept my license. After saying goodbye to the three sisters, I walked over to the pokémon center and placed my pokémon inside before returning to the hotel for the night.   
This night, I didn't dream about Stork. I dreamt about victory.  
Chapter 10  
"That'll be one hundred and fifty bucks."  
"What, are you crazy?" I screamed at the gruff motel manager. I was checking out of the motel I had been staying at in Cerulean.   
"Seventy-five dollars a night; two nights; one hundred and fifty dollars!"  
"Gosh darn prices these days. Stupid motel managers with their outrageous prices," I continued to mutter as I fished in my wallet for my trainer's credit card. It was an account in which all of the money I spend on my journey is sent as a bill to my parents every month. Boy, they were going to be furious when they see the upcoming bill.   
After paying the scandalous bill, I went to a local diner to eat breakfast.  
Togepi sat on the table laughing hysterically as I tickled him playfully. Soon, a waitress approached our booth.  
"What'll it be, honey?" asked a middle-aged woman working at the diner.   
"Um...I'll have some flapjacks and some bacon. Oh and some eggs-" I was broken off by a stern look from Togepi. "Actually," I said, trying to comfort my pokemon, "forget the eggs. I think my pokemon here objects to them."   
"Whatever," said the waitress as she began to walk off. But before she was gone, I felt a slight tugging on my shirt.   
"Breeeee!" Togepi whined with a desperate look.   
"Oh, waitress!" I motioned as she turned around, "Do you know if you could give my pokemon, er...me, some lettuce?"  
"This early in the morning?" she seemed surprised.  
"Uh, yeah," I said nervously. I didn't want her to get the impression that she was serving a pokemon.   
"Whatever you say," she sighed as she headed into the kitchen.   
After a short period of time, she returned with my breakfast and Togepi's lettuce. He immediately grabbed it and waddled over to the other side of the table, protecting it in case we felt the need to take it from him. As he munched happily on the green vegetable, the waitress sighed again and asked herself quietly as she walked away, "Can my life get any stranger?"  
I laughed at her remark as I began to chomp down my pancakes. Togepi was done with his lettuce so he came over to my plate, snatched a small pancake, and then quickly waddled back to his previous spot on the other side of the table. I laughed at him, and continued to eat. I had to get some energy for the long hike I would have to take today.  
***  
I sat on a bench near the outskirts of Cerulean in a park, reading a map. Togepi was sleeping in his pokeball, and all of my other pokemon were resting up also.   
As I read the map, I quietly murmured to myself. "Let's see. If I go south towards Saffron, then I might cross that small town right there and..."   
I continued talking to myself until I knew where I was going. Because Saffron City was too far for me to hike in one day, I would have to stop and rest about halfway there. I found a town on the map called "Tourneytown." I took out my traveling guide and looked up the town in the index. When I found it, the description read:  
"TOURNEYTOWN: A medium-sized town with a population of 10,000, Tourneytown is known for its annual Pokemon tournament, held on the first weekend of June every year. Note to trainers: This is not an official Pokemon League tournament, therefore it does not award any badges."  
I was so excited when I read this, and I knew that I could make it by then. The tournament was a week form now, leaving me plenty of time to practice when I arrive there. I decided I should start out soon, because I wanted to make it to Tourneytown before daybreak. I again looked at the map, and saw a green trail leading straight to the city. The key indicated that the green line means it's a scenic route, and I knew that was a perfect place to catch pokemon in the wild. I gathered up my things, and headed to the trailhead, which was only a few blocks away.   
Upon arriving on the trail, I read a sheet of paper that was stapled to a tree. It read:  
"WARNING: To all pokemon trainers: there have been reports of pokemon theft in this area, especially on this trail. Please be cautious on your journey through the woods. -Officer Jenny, Cerulean City Police Department"  
"Oh, great," I muttered to myself, "Something to worry about."  
I started on the trail and, despite the fact that there were pokemon poachers in the area, I enjoyed the warm summer air. Soon, I heard a whining coming from one of the pokeballs on my belt. I took out the pokeball, and found out that it was Growlithe, wanting to get out. I released him and he immediately took off in a sprint, leaving me in the dust. I chased after him, but I couldn't find him anywhere.   
After searching for about an hour, I realized that I was far up on the trail, and I was in some dense woods. I continued to search, and soon found my puppy in a creek nearby, splashing around in the water happily.   
"Oh man, Growlithe! Now you'll smell bad with all of that water on you!" I said in an annoyed voice, and then finally with a sigh, "C'mon, let's go."  
He obeyed when he saw the expression on my face and continued to follow me with his tail between his legs.  
I noticed his puppy dog eyes glaring up at me, with his tail still between his legs, "Growlithe, don't give me that look!"  
He continued to give me the look until I began petting him and laughing. He then continued by my side, always glaring at interesting objects that caught his attention, and always on alert. Soon, he began sniffing trees and shrubs, and I realized that he wanted to "do his thing". When he found a suitable tree, he began to mark his territory as I turned around and waited for him to finish. After a few seconds, I heard a high-pitched giggling, and looked around for the source of the sound. I didn't find any kids, and I knew something was up.   
When I turned to see if Growlithe had done his business, I found him growling at the tree. "What's the matter boy?" I asked jokingly, "Did that tree insult you?"  
He turned to me and gave me the "Evil Eye", glanced back at the tree, and then started walking up the path ahead of me. Not long after, I heard a sneeze coming from behind us, I quickly turned around to see who was following us. All I saw were trees, so I turned back and began walking again. Before long, I heard a rustling behind us again, so I turned around to find no one, just like before. But what really caught my eye was a tree. The tree looked just like the one that Growlithe had urinated on, so I approached it and began to look for any suspicious signs. Suddenly, the tree shook as it sneezed! I jumped back quickly, and was suddenly very scared.   
"Umm, Growlithe, did you just see that tree sneeze?" I asked nervously.  
He replied by growling as he went up to sniff the tree. Once he had taken a quick whiff, his growling grew stronger, and I knew that this tree was no ordinary tree.   
Without warning, the tree began to glow a bright white, and it's silhouette changed and grew smaller. Before long, it was a Rattata! "Ok," I said to myself, "Now this is not right."  
The tree/Rattata growled, "Rattata! Rat! Grr..."   
"OK, so you want to fight?" I said, preparing a command, "Go Growlithe!"  
My dog jumped in front of me, ready for battle, "GrowlITHE!"   
"Give it a flame thrower, Growlithe!" I yelled, now completely prepared for battle.  
It opened its mouth and bright, glowing flames emerged and surrounded the unsuspecting enemy, leaving it badly burned.   
The creature then began to glow again, and it formed the shape of a Pidgey.   
"What kind of pokemon ARE you?" I then said, completely confused.  
"Pidgey!" It squawked as it flew high into the air, and then dive-bombed Growlithe, rendering him unconscious.  
I began muttering profanities as I reached for another pokeball.   
"Whatever you are," I said, still searching for a pokemon, "I'm gonna catch you."  
I finally picked a pokemon, and released it, "Poliwag, go!"  
The tadpole pokemon eagerly jumped out of its pokeball, waiting for my command. Our morphing opponent saw this opportunity to attack, and it did, flying dangerously close to us and blowing up sand. I couldn't see anything, and when the dust finally cleared, the pokemon was gone.   
"That was weird," I said to myself, returning Poliwag to its pokeball and then releasing Growlithe for healing.   
After giving Growlithe some medicine, I continued down the path, enjoying the beautiful weather and the lush woods. But I still couldn't get my mind off of the mysterious pokemon that was constantly morphing in front of us. It was so strange, and I yearned to own it so much. But I had lost it, and I had to deal with it.   
After walking for another hour, the constant whining of my pokemon inside of their pokeballs signaled lunchtime, so I released them all in a nearby meadow, and then set up a small picnic. They all greatly enjoyed their temporary freedom, and I watched them run around, chasing each other and playing their own little game of "tag". I made myself a sandwich, and soon looked up to see Togepi waddling towards me, eagerly awaiting his lunch. I pulled out a couple pieces of lettuce and gave them to him, allowing him to snatch it from my hands and run off.   
I soon fed all of my pokemon their meals, and then settled down for my own lunch. As I ate, I remembered how Stork and I had watched our pokemon play together on the beach, and I slowly fought back a tear that was forming in my eye. I quickly rubbed my eye, and stood up to start cleaning up the picnic area.   
After packing up the area, I walked over to my pokemon to find them all cuddled together, sleeping. They were so peaceful and calm as I stared at them, and yet, they were so dangerous when they battled. I quickly returned them to their pokeballs and attached them back to my belt. I would travel on a little further before breaking camp for the night.   
But before I was completely out of the field, I felt a strange chill go down my back and I felt like I was being watched. I slowly turned around, trying to stay calm. And what I saw both surprised me and made me furious.  
"You!" I screamed to the tree. The tree was the exact same one that had morphed into the other pokemon to attack me.   
Like before, it began to glow, but this time as it shrunk, a silhouette of Growlithe appeared.   
"Growlithe!" it barked.  
"Huh?" I asked myself in amazement. But I didn't hesitate to pull out a pokeball. "Go, Butterfree!"  
My blue Butterfree appeared with a loud, "Breeee!"   
"Butterfree, tackle it!" I yelled. My pokemon obeyed, quickly flapping towards the strange pokemon. But right when it was about to attack, the Growlithe jumped out of the way and shot a burst of flames. They engulfed Butterfree, and when they ceased, my pokemon had a very angry glare in its eyes. Butterfree soared high into the air, and then released a glowing powder, which slowly floated down to the Growlithe. The small dog couldn't dodge the powder, and it slowly fell into a deep sleep. But while it was falling asleep, something really strange happened. It began to glow again, but this time formed the shape of a small blob, and when it finally finished morphing, it was a shiny, pink pokemon. I pulled out my pokedex and pointed it at the sleeping pokemon:  
DITTO: A transforming pokemon. Ditto are able to morph into any pokemon or object that they have seen, usually deceiving trainers by morphing into common pokemon, like Pidgies and Rattatas. They only learn one move, TRANSFORM.  
"So, that's it," I said to myself, shutting the pokedex, and then realizing that I was still in battle I yelled to my pokemon, "Butterfree, give it a tackle!"  
My pokemon obeyed, and this time the Ditto couldn't dodge. It was hit hard, and it flew back a few feet, but it didn't wake up.  
"Ok," I yelled, pulling out a pokeball and enlarging it, "Pokeball, go!"  
The red and white ball flew through the air, glimmering in the sunlight. Finally, it hit it's target, and the red beam shot out, swallowing the Ditto with its fluorescent glow. The pokeball shook a few times, but I released a huge sigh when I heard the familiar "Ding!" and saw the red indicator turn off.   
"Yes!" I yelled, holding out Butterfree's pokeball, "Butterfree, great job! Return!" I then walked over to my new pokemon's pokeball, and picked it up, decreasing its size. I considered letting Ditto out to heal it, but I decided against it, hearing the faint snoring coming from the pokeball. Sleep was probably the best thing for him right now.  
After attaching the pokeball to my belt, I continued on my way through the woods, eager to get to Tourneytown. I soon found the trail again, and started South towards the small town. As I walked, I thought I heard rustling, but I assumed it was just my imagination, and it probably wasn't that important to check out. But my suspicion grew more when I thought I heard whispering behind me. I increased my stride, and soon broke into a run down the path. My fear had taken the most of me and my adrenaline was rushing as I flew past the trees. It seemed like the whole world had gone quiet except for my rushing footsteps. The whispering grew louder, and it soon was in front of me. I continued running, running away from something or someone that I didn't know. And then, I tripped. I hit a tree root and slammed into the ground, opening a cut in my forehead as I hit the ground. I was dizzy, and confused. As I lay there, I heard faint voices above me, and I rolled over on my back to look upward at the source of the talking. Suddenly, a shotgun butt came flying down at me, and the last thing I saw before I fell unconscious was the blurry, red "R".  
Chapter 11  
My vision slowly returned and the world became clearer as I recovered from unconsciousness. When I was finally awake, I noticed I was inside in a small jail cell, if you would call it that. There was only a hard bed to my left, and a mirror to my right, which was dirty with dust. I looked outside of the bars, and I noticed I was in some kind of warehouse, and there was some kind of assembly line formed around a moving conveyor belt. I couldn't see what was on the belt, but I knew it couldn't be good. What really caught my attention were the uniforms of the people. They all donned black uniforms with the trademark red "R" on the chest. I didn't need to guess to know who this was.  
I walked over to the mirror and rubbed my palm across it, clearing the dust. And then I saw my face: tired, worn, and beaten. I still had a cut across my forehead from my fall in the woods, but it had been cleaned up. I also had a large bump around my eye, which in turn was brown and bruised from the shotgun butt that had hit it.   
I groaned as I dragged my feet over to the bed and sat down. And then I remembered my pokemon. I looked to my right side, and all I saw were empty pokeball clips. My pokedex was also missing, along with my knapsack.   
I laid down on the bed and stared at the cracked ceiling of my jail cell, still dazed from my unconsciousness. I drifted off into a disturbing sleep, but was awoken some time later by an unfamiliar voice. "Wake up. Wake up!"   
I woke up and my vision cleared to reveal a girl. She was beautiful, and my eyes widened as I glared at her face.   
"It's about time," she said, holding something out to me as I slowly rised, "You've been sleeping for a couple hours now. I brought you some dinner." I took the plate and examined the food. After looking at it, I quickly set it down away from me in disgust.  
"You expect me to eat that?" I yelled at her.  
"I'm sorry," she replied passionately, "That's what they gave me to give you."  
"So first you guys knock me out, then you lock me up in this tiny jail cell, take my pokemon, my pokedex, and my belongings, and then feed me this stuff?" I asked, my anger rising inside of me.  
She stood up quickly after that remark and replied, "Listen, I'm trying to be nice to you, but you just get more angry at me. I'm not in charge here, ok? I'm just a 'Junior Rocket', which means that I'm treated like dirt. I have to do what they say, or I get in trouble. So I'm trying my best to make it easier for both of us, but you're not helping!" With that, she stormed out of the cell furiously.   
I looked at my food, and realized how hungry I was. I grabbed the plate and fork, and began eating it, despite the horrible taste. After eating I walked up to the cell bars and looked outside, watching the Rocket members frantically work in the assembly line. I kept looking until I got a clear look at what they were doing. Finally, I got a quick glance at the conveyor belt when one of the members stepped back. I saw pokeballs piled on top of each other, and the men and women were putting them into separate bins across from them. I assumed that they were sorting them by type, and I went back to my bed, thinking about their whole plan. They are stopping trainers on the scenic path, stealing their pokemon, and then locking the trainers up. The stolen pokemon are then sorted into their appropriate types, but there was still the question as to where the pokemon went after this. I had heard of Giovanni, the creator of Team Rocket, in a news report, and they told of his power. I then guessed that the pokemon were sent to him for his choosing. But that still didn't explain what happened to the unwanted pokemon. I left it at that as I lay down and fell asleep again.   
It was morning when I awoke, but the conveyor belt hadn't started yet. The people were probably eating breakfast now. I went over to the mirror and rubbed my face, hoping to wake myself up. I then walked back to my bed and sat down, staring at the empty warehouse.   
Soon, voices formed in the background, and they grew louder as the Rockets returned from the cafeteria. I could here laughing and talking while they walked in and filled the empty warehouse. And then I noticed the girl that had delivered my dinner to me last night. She was sulking, and had a very depressed look on her face. It was odd seeing her like that, and I decided that I needed to find out what was wrong when she delivered me my meal again.   
Soon enough, she entered my cell and gave me my breakfast. She still had the sullen look on her face, so I took the opportunity to ask her why, "Hey, what's wrong?"  
She looked up at me and didn't reply for awhile, until she finally spoke up, "I hate this place. I hate the people here, I hate being here, and I hate what we're doing here. This place is like a prison; they hold you here and you can't do anything but work."  
I was surprised by that remark, and was speechless. She continued when she realized I wasn't going to reply to her comment, "I can't believe what goes on in here. You have no idea, but I do. I hate taking pokemon away from their owners, I hate it. And the worst part is, all of the weak pokemon are thrown back into the woods, without food or shelter," she paused for a few seconds, "or their master. Do you know how hard it is for a trained pokemon to coexist with wild ones? It's almost impossible for it to survive. And they die because of us, because of me."  
Again, I was completely speechless, and she just stared down at the ground. I followed her eyes, and glared down at the same piece of worn cement that she was. After a short while, she said quietly, with cracks in her voice, "I need to get out. I have to get out of this place. I have to get away from everyone and everything here."  
This time, I replied, but still hastily, "I can help you, if you help me."  
She glanced up at my face, shocked by my proposition, "How?"  
"Listen," I started, "I want out of here too, but I can't do it without your help. I want my pokemon and my belongings back, along with my freedom from this place, and I'll help get you out of here."  
As she listened, she remained still, and finally leaned back when I finished. "One more thing," she said slowly, "There's one more thing I want."  
***  
It was the next day, near lunchtime. I had found out the young Rocket's name: Ariana. I had also found out that she was a month younger than I was, although she looked younger than that. We had a plan, a complicated one, but it was still a plan.   
She served me my lunch, cautious not to arouse any suspicion of our plan. Once the lunch was over for the other Rockets, she would retrieve my belt with my pokeballs attached. But that was only if all went well, which doesn't seem to be happening much lately. She had mentioned today being an important day, but I guess I just wasn't listening. Only time could tell what would happen.  
I sat in my small jail cell reading a book, but also listening in on some of the conversations that were formulating. Everyone seemed to be extremely talkative, although I still couldn't find out why. But, I soon found out, and it was not good.  
He stepped into the warehouse with swift steps, always remaining cautious and alert. I couldn't see his face, for it seemed to remain hidden in the dark shadows that he stepped through. Next to him, I saw the large cat, purring softly, while also keeping a strong watch on its surroundings. I knew who he was, and I was terribly frightened. But what surprised me even more was who was behind him. I recognized them immediately. They were Brian and Sarah, or really Jake and Erin. I remembered that encounter with them before on Mt. Moon and slowly stepped back to hide in the shadows, hoping they wouldn't see me. They must of escaped from the police's custody somehow, and now they were back, assisting their boss in his evil ways.   
I saw the leader of the group walk into the warehouse, taking in every detail about it, and making sire everyone was working. As he was walking, I noticed he was making his way towards me, but slowly at that. Finally, he made it to me, and I stood up, facing his tall body.  
Erin and Jake didn't see me yet, but I knew they would eventually. Their boss turned to one of the closest Rockets working at the factory, "What is this child in here for?"  
"Um, uh...see, si-ii-rr...um...he's..uh.." The Rocket was too scared to respond, and Giovanni's anger rose.  
"What is this child here for?" he boomed, listening to his loud voice echo through the factory.  
A large man stepped up, "We found him wandering outside. Since we thought he had seen our factory, we knocked him out and brought him here, uh...sir."  
"Thank you," Giovanni said, turning back to me, "So, you were wandering around outside, huh? I don't like when people wander around my operations, especially pokemon trainers." He must have noticed one of my pokemon badges from inside my jacket. He continued, "So, do you have any strong pokemon?"  
I continued my firm expression, not saying anything. Finally, Jake stepped up to the bars, "The boss asked you a-" He stopped, finally discovering who I really was. "You!" he yelled angrily, "You're the little prick that put us away, aren't you?"  
His boss was aroused by his follower's remark and asked me, "So, you're the trainer that put two of my best followers in the custody of the police? Interesting." He stopped, turning back to Jake and Erin, "Okay. Kill him. But make it quick, we have a very busy schedule ahead of us." I stepped back in my cell, watching Jake pull out a gun. There was nowhere I could run to. I was trapped. I shot a glance towards Ariana, but she wasn't there. I saw her quickly jolt to a closet on the other end of the warehouse, where the stolen pokemon were kept. Jake pointed the gun at me and said in a dark tone, "Revenge is sweet." He pulled the trigger and...*click* Jake looked down at the gun, and realized that the clip was empty. He began to put in a new one, all while swearing loudly. It would just give more time for Ariana to get my belt.  
Jake again pointed his gun at me, but was stopped by Ariana's loud remark, "Stop!"   
He jolted around and looked at her, but it was Erin who responded with a sneer, "What is it?"  
Ariana walked up to my cell and stood in front of me, facing them, "You can't just kill someone like that. It's not right, and it's against human nature."  
"What?" Erin asked, stepping closer to her, "How can you judge human nature? You're not fit to be a member of Team Rocket!"  
Ariana was also making good use of this time, though. Behind her back, she slipped me my belt, with all six pokeballs attached, through the bars. I grabbed the belt and also kept it hidden from the view of the staring eyes, stepping back into the shadows.  
Ariana was hurt from Erin's last remark, but still waited for me to do my part of the plan that had developed. I waited for the right moment, and soon saw Giovanni again approaching my cell. "Better now than never," I said quietly to myself, pulling out a pokeball. "Togepi, go!" I screamed, allowing all eyes to turn to me. I quickly picked the pokemon up and grabbed Ariana's hand through the cell bars. One I had a firm grip on both I said to Togepi, "Teleport, now!"   
He squinted his eyes and began to swing his hands around in small circles. They quickly began to glow a faint blue and, in a matter of seconds, all three of us were flashed outside. Outside into the warm, summer airs. Outside where the birds were chirping and the flowers were glowing in the sunlight. Outside from the musty cell in the old warehouse. Outside to freedom.   
"It worked!" Ariana squealed with happiness, hugging me. I felt weird though; one minute I was at Ariana's throat, the next she was hugging me after freeing me. I couldn't trust her just yet, but she did save my life, and I had to credit that to her.  
"Okay," I said quickly, "We have to get out of this area, away from the search parties."  
"Yes," she agreed as we began to run up the same path that I had been knocked unconscious on.   
After running for several minutes, we both grew tired and sat down to rest. As she pulled out a water canteen from her knapsack, I listened to some noise coming a little further up the trail. "C'mon," I said, helping her up, "I think there's a highway up there or something. Let's try to hitch a ride up there."  
We soon found the highway about 50 yards up the trail a little, and found a ride with a man who owned a pick-up truck. Ariana and I sat in the back, laying down to stare upwards at the passing clouds. I still owed her my part of the deal. I had a new companion.  
  



End file.
